


Outdoor pursuits.

by Sircastic84



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), SwanQueen - Fandom
Genre: Cunnilingus, Dirty Talk, F/F, Falling In Love, Family, Fanfiction, Fluff and Smut, Friendship, Oral, Sex, Squirting, Swan Queen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-04-04 04:42:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 113,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14012427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sircastic84/pseuds/Sircastic84
Summary: ***COMPLETE***Regina and Emma meet at a speed dating event after bring tricked/blackmailed by their friends. There is an immediate attraction that sets them on the path to love.Regina is the Mayor of Storybrooke and Emma is an outdoor pursuits instructor intent on broadening Regina's horizons.Fluff and smut.





	1. Regina

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own any of the characters. I'm just borrowing them for my own amusement.

Regina

They hadn’t even arrived yet and Regina was already regretting inviting them over instead of going out to a bar like they usually would. She’d had a particularly taxing day and as a result she had been late leaving work. Now she was behind in preparing for the evening ahead. Ever the perfect hostess she wasn’t going to be satisfied with just putting out a bowl of peanuts for her guests to nibble on as they drank. No, Regina Mills was in the midst of preparing a feast. She never did makes things easy for herself.

She had been hoping to spend a bit of time with Henry after work and before he went to his Grandma’s for the night but because she was running so late she had to ask Cora to pick him up from school, which she readily agreed to. He was used to staying with Cora when Regina was working very late. It didn’t happen often but both Henry and Cora enjoyed it when it did. 

This was not how her day was supposed to go, but seen as she had previously cancelled twice on Zelena and Kathryn, a third time would be pushing her luck. She would just have to get through tonight and that should keep the girls off her back for a couple more weeks. It’s not like she didn’t enjoy their company but the incessant attempts at trying to hook her up were wearing thin. She wished they would just understand that she was content with things the way they are. That was the main reason she had invited them around instead of going out, they couldn’t try to fix her up with someone if there was no one there to fix her up with.  
Just as she placed the last of the many canapés on the kitchen counter there was a knock at the front door, followed by the door being swung open, just as Regina stepped out into the foyer.

“Honey, I’m home,” was bellowed out in a brash English accent. Not for the first time in her life Regina wondered if maybe Cora had accidentally taken the wrong child home from hospital when Zelena was born. They were absolute polar opposites but nevertheless they loved each other dearly. With a sigh and a roll of her eyes, Regina chastises Zelena for nearly taking the door off its hinges.  
“Really, Zelena? Please do try to show some decorum.”  
“Seriously, Sis? That door is harder than Sidney when you wear... well, anything,” she replies with a smirk and a wink.

“Eww,” sounds from behind Zelena as Kathryn steps past her to greet Regina with a smile and a hug.

“Something smells nice,” she says, looking towards the kitchen. Declaring herself to be starving, Zelena walks past them both and into the kitchen. The blonde leans closer to Regina and whispers, “she was necking vodka in the taxi ride on the way over.” They both glance towards the redhead as she comes back from the kitchen, a canapé in each hand and a mouth full of mulched up food.

“I dunno what dese are but fuck me dey are good,” she mumbles around the food masticating in her open mouth.

“Dear lord, don’t talk with your mouth full and please use one of the plates that I have provided for you. I do not want crumbs all over my floor.”

She swallows the mush in her mouth and rolls her eyes at her uptight sister. “Well then, you should have let us go out like we usually do. You’re the one that decided on this little shindig instead. Speaking of which, it’s time to crack open the booze before I start sobering up.” She shudders at the mere thought.

The two sober women follow Zelena into the kitchen to find her with her head in Regina’s alcohol cupboard. She moves a few wine bottles out of the way and gasps, “ah, there you are my pretty!” She turns around holding a bottle of Regina’s famous apple cider, with a twinkle in her eyes.

“No you don’t,” Regina demands as she grabs the bottle from her hands and puts it aside.

“That’s for people I like.”

“So it’s never going to see the light of day?” She teasingly questions the brunette.

Their light hearted bickering is interrupted by the sound of another cupboard door closing and Kathryn passes them both a glass.

“No, ta doll,” Zelena grimaces at the glass before she digs around in her handbag. After a few seconds she pulls out a straw and grabs the wine bottle that Regina has just uncorked, straight from her hands and pops the straw inside.

“What?” She asks the two women staring at her in confusion, or is it disgust? She shrugs her shoulders and begins sucking heavily on the straw.

Kathryn bursts out laughing whilst shaking her head at Zelena’s antics. She takes another bottle of expensive red wine off the counter and pours herself a hearty glass. She moves the bottle over to Regina’s glass but the brunette puts her hand over it with a shake of her head.

“I’ll let it breathe for a few minutes first.”

Zelena manages to prise the straw from her lips just long enough to call Regina a posh twat and then gets back to it. If looks could kill, Zelena would be a pile of ash on the floor.

“Maybe this is why I would rather not go out with you in public.”

“Bollocks. You’ve been put with me plenty of times.”

“Well maybe I’m also fed up with you trying to set me up on dates.”

“The truth shall set you free,” Zelena declares whilst flinging her arms open wide in a flamboyant manner, her thumb placed over the top of the wine, careful not to spill any of it.

Kathryn butts in with “Sweety, your life revolves around running this town and looking after Henry. It would do you good to let loose and enjoy yourself.”

“How do you suppose I make time to let loose when, as you say, I have a town to run, a child to raise and a semi functioning alcoholic of a sister to take care of?” She says the last part with a teasing glare at her sister.

“Aww Sis, I didn’t know you cared.”

“I don’t care. I just hate your behaviour sullying my good name.”

Kathryn shakes her head, something she does a lot around these two, then grabs the open bottle of wine and makes her way to the lounge. She has known them both since she was a little girl and she knows how much they love each other but part of their dynamic is to snipe and bitch at each other.

She has been Regina’s best friend since they started Kindergarten the same year, Zelena was a few years older than them both but they all grew up together. She agrees with Zelena though, Regina has never been very open with her feelings or with people in general and since her relationship with Mal ended, she has only gotten worse. She would really love for her friend to find happiness with another.

“Nothing and no one has sullied you in years, if you catch my drift,” Zelena smirks as she wriggles her eyebrows as they enter the lounge.

The blonde is already sitting at one end of the couch with the same amused look on her face as Regina takes a seat at the other end of the couch and Zelena plonks her drunken ass on the love seat.

“So what do you have planned for us tonight besides the booze and enough food to feed a small nation?” The red head asks with a bored look on her face.

“I had planned on hiring a clown to keep your child like mind entertained for the evening but then I realised that may constitute cruel and unusual punishment for the clown.” She retorts with a smug look on her face.

“Ha-de-ha cobweb panties. If you would just go get laid I’m sure you wouldn’t be so hostile.”

Kathryn sniggers and nods her head in agreement.

Regina sees this out of the corner of her eye and turns her head to look at her friend. “Oh, you’re on her side now?”

“I’ve always agreed with her on this, it would be good for you to have someone, even if it was just for a night. You’ve never really gotten over Mal.”  
“You know what they say,” Zelena interrupts, “the quickest way to get over someone is to get under someone else.”

Rolling her eyes as she stands to make her way to the kitchen, “never mind letting it breathe. If I’m going to be spending an evening with you two trying to pimp me out I cannot be sober.”

The two women smile wickedly at each other and the redhead quietly giggles “Operation ‘wet crotch’ is go!”

The blonde grimaces and states sternly, “I did not agree to that name!”

“What name?” Regina enquires suspiciously as she steps back into the room with a very full glass and the remaining bottle of wine that she places on the coffee table before sitting back down.

Not wanting to let the cat out of the bag just yet, but also wanting to mess with the blonde a bit, Zelena answers, “Kathryn said I could name her vagina because no one has ever named it for her.”

Kathryn doesn’t want to allow this hideous conversation to continue but she can’t think of any other way to turn it around so she gives a tight lipped smile and a nod.

“Why on Earth would you name your vagina, let alone allow someone else to do it?” The brunette asks, half bemused, half curious.

“I read in a magazine that it can help females bond. The redhead realises it’s a ridiculous lie that no one in their right mind would believe so she quickly adds, as a way of distraction, “I’ve already named yours Priscilla.”

“Priscilla?” Regina questions, now thoroughly confused.

“Yeah, Priscilla Queen of the desert, because of it’s long dry spell.” Both of the guests laugh hysterically at this, the booze having thoroughly gotten into their systems at this point. Regina gulps the rest of her wine before refilling her glass and retorts dryly, “I guess yours would be called 24/7, always open for business.” Kathryn chuckles even harder and Regina laughs deeply.

Zelena goes silent for a second as her face settles into a neutral expression before joining in with the other women’s laughter.

“So what did you name Kathryn’s?” The alcohol must be working it’s way into her system as she freely joins in with this ludicrous conversation.

“Urm” Zelena stumbles.

“Gilette, the best a man can get.” The blonde speedily jumps in. She really didn’t want to give Zelena a chance to answer for her, knowing that she would come up with would be a thousand times worse. “A bit crass but true,” the blonde smugly adds.

When the laughter dies down, Zelena decides to casually mention she has three tickets to a show in Boston next weekend and that they should all go.

“Why do you have three tickets to a show in Boston of all places?” Confusion was evident on the brunettes face. “Besides it’s almost a six hour drive away.”

“Well, funny story. There was this guy...”

“Stop right there, I don’t want or need to know any of the sordid details of how you procured the tickets. But anyway...”

“You asked.” Zelena interrupted.

“Anyway.” Regina continued with a pointed stare at her sister. “I’m not driving that far to see a show.”

“It’s a new one about lesbians and it has rave reviews. It’s right up your alley.” She tries to convince her sister.

“I don’t care if it’s about dancing daffodils, I’m not going that far for a show.”

“Actually, I was thinking we could make a weekend of it, the three of us. We haven’t been away together in forever.” Zelena whines.

“I think it’s a great idea.” Kathryn adds with a smile, having helped Zelena come up with this plan.

“I can’t just up and leave for a weekend, especially on such short notice. I have Henry to think of.”

“Nonsense, it’s in plenty of time. You know mother will look after Henry and nothing ever happens in the town. I’m pretty sure it will still be standing upon our return.”

“Come on Regina, a girls weekend! We can let our hair down and escape this place and all our responsibilities.” Kathryn says with hope in her eyes.

The Mayor glances at her watch before speaking. “I have spent just over an hour with you two and I’m already at my wits end.”

“Bullshit. Your life would be ever more boring without us. The show promises to be an amazing night and besides, you owe me for when I kept you company at that snooze fest award thingymajiggy of Mals.”

“What? We never agreed that I’d owe you for that. Besides, as soon as I mentioned there would be free alcohol you practically skipped for the rest of the day.”

“You think I did that out of the goodness of my heart? Puh-lease, you knew I’d come to collect. Knock knock, that’s me at your door wanting payment.”

“Eurgh, fine! But only for one night and you’d better not book us into a hovel.” She’s not quite sure why she has agreed but she knows they are right that it’s time to forget about Mal. She doesn’t have feelings for her anymore but because of the way it ended it has been holding her back from even thinking about getting involved with anyone. She’s not too stubborn to admit to herself that she has become stuck in a bit of a rut. Her day to day life is regimented and she never strays too far from her routine. A night way might be a good change of pace.

“Cross my heart and hope to die.” She smiles sweetly whilst crossing her heart.

“Woohoo.” Kathryn shouts excitedly. “So that’s settled, next weekend it is.”

After many more drinks, some food and a bit planning for the following weekend they decide to call it a night. Once the cab had collected the guests, Regina tidies up before heading to bed.

In the taxi the two woman begin discussing how they are going to break it to Regina that the tickets for the ‘show’ are actually tickets for a speed dating event. They had agreed that it was going to be their last attempt at trying to fix her up. They were hoping they would have more luck outside of Storybrooke.

“Don’t worry about it. Once we are there and we ply her with plenty of those fancy cocktails she likes we will just break it to her,” Zelena slurs.

“Just break it to her?” I can’t believe I let you talk me into this. She is going to kill us.”

“Not if we get her drunk first.” She tries to wink but in her drunken it state it ends up more of an exaggerated blink.

They both smile at each other. “Green light for operation ‘wet crotch’ is a go!” Zelena shouts, making the cab driver jump in his seat and swerve slightly.  
Once her nightly routine is complete, Regina gets in her bed but is unable to sleep as her mind keeps bouncing between thoughts of Mal and going away the following weekend. Her mind finally settles on Mal, who she really hadn’t thought much of in years, and everything that happened between them. From the years of on and off between them because of the blondes preference to partying to Her backing out of filing for adoption at the eleventh hour. That’s when Regina knew it was time to let go of her for good. She would rather have no one to rely on than have someone she couldn’t rely on.

They had met at University and Regina had fallen madly in love, enough to overlook their differences. Mal was several years her senior and that was part of the attraction to Regina. She was inexperienced, never having had a relationship before and Mal was quite worldly, someone she admired and looked up to. It didn’t hurt that the sex was incredible too. But after graduation Regina’s career began to take off, changing the dynamic of their relationship. She was no longer a dreamy eyed girl that was in awe of Mal but a strong woman who was getting fed up with Mal’s partying lifestyle. It continued like that for a few years, both unwilling to let go until one day Regina arrived home early and caught Mal in bed with a woman from Mal’s work. After that they broke up but over a year later, after a drunken night out where they bumped into each other, a year without any intimacy for Regina, they fell in bed together. That was followed by weeks of promises from Mal that she had grown up and would never hurt her again. Eventually Regina gave in and it went well for a while until Mal started falling into old habits. Regina gave her an ultimatum as she was ready to start a family but she needed to know Mal could get herself together. She promised she would and Regina got in touch with an agency. When the day of their first interview was due, Regina returned home from work early as planned to find Mal waiting for her with a suitcase next to her.

All of a sudden Regina became aware of a tear rolling down her cheek. She wasn’t sad that she lost Mal, she was sad for all the wasted time on a relationship that should have ended way before it did. Even though she was over it she knew it was the reason she hadn’t pursued a relationship since her, that and she really didn’t fee like she had any time to waste on dating when she has Henry and the town to take care of. She wiped her tear away, shook her head and decided that the following weekend would be the start of a new chapter for her. Her sister and best friend were right, a night away would do her some good. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had left Storybrooke. It was time for her to start living her life fully for once. Even if she didn’t have time to waste on dating she was sure she could find time in her life to go out a bit more.


	2. Emma

Emma.

“Come on, Ruby, let me take the adult sessions.”

“No way, Em. You’re stuck with the snobby snotbags this week,” Ruby chuckled.

It’s Monday morning which means that the activity instructors at ‘Gold’s Outdoor Pursuit Centre’ have just been handed their schedules for the upcoming week.  
“Please Ruby, you know I’m no good with the posh kids. It’s the worst possible way for me to start the week. Be a friend,” Emma pleads with her bottom lip jutting out.  
Upon looking at her schedule, Emma saw the her week is jam packed with session after session of private school kids.

As their supervisor, Graham, walks past, Emma grabs him. “Graham, what the hell?” She spits out, holding her rota to his face.

“Good morning to you too, Emma,” he grinned merrily. He knew she would react like this when she saw her rota.

“Good morning my ass! Look at this damn thing! Nothing but spoilt little brats all week!”

“Don’t exaggerate, you have an adult paddle boarding on Wednesday afternoon,” he teased.

“This is bullshit and you know it!” More whining than any real anger.

“This is out of my hands, Mr Gold made this week’s rota’s,” he counter argued, holding his hands up submissively.

“Why is he doing this to me?” 

“Oh... I don’t know, Em. Maybe it’s because you reversed your scrap heap of a car into his brand new Cadillac.”

“That was an accident and anyway, the insurance company is taking care of it.”

“Seems like Mr Gold may disagree with you. You’d better go speak to him,” he looks at the clock on the wall. “You’d better be quick about it, first session starts in twenty.”

She rushes out, heading straight to Mr Gold’s office, knocking confidently on his door when she arrives.  
“Come in,” a stern voice commands.

“Mr Gold,” Emma greets with slight annoyance in her voice.

“Ah Miss Swan, I thought I might be seeing you this morning.” He replies with a sly grin.

“Mr Gold?” she repeats, “About this weeks rota, why do I have a full week of kid sessions?”

“Well, Miss Swan, it would seem we have several schools booked in this week. Most instructors have extra child sessions.”

“Ruby doesn’t,” she exclaims.

“That’s because Miss Lucas sometimes forgets to mind her language in front of the children.”

“So this isn’t because I backed into your car?” She asked quizzically.

The camp director sighs heavily, “No, Miss Swan, this has nothing to do with that unfortunate incident,” he answers sourly.

Mr Gold wasn’t a bad guy but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy the young woman’s suffering just a little bit. 

“Please, Mr Gold, I’ll wash your car for a month… when it’s back from the garage,” she trails off.

“That won’t be necessary, please do stay away from my car.”

“There has to be something I can do!”

A large reptilian grin grows on his face at that suggestion. “Now that you mention it, maybe we could come to some sort of an agreement.”

Eyeing him suspiciously she asks, “What would you have me do?”

“As you are well aware, next month we begin the adult weekend courses for the new season. I need cover for it and seen as you are so desperate to work with adults...”

“Oh come on, no one likes doing the weekend courses. They are always full of rich, arrogant, city folks with no interest in actually doing anything but taking selfies for their Instagram accounts. Besides, I’m down to do the one the following weekend.”

“Exactly my point Miss Swan, I don’t have enough staff to cover since no one likes doing them and Neal and Tamara decided to up and leave to go travelling. Two in a row won’t be so bad. Don’t forget, you get double pay for doing nights over the weekend,” he tries to convince her.

“Eugh, fine. So if I do next weekend I’ll have a kid free week?”

“No, if you agree to do it I will overlook Miss Lucas’ misdemeanour last week and allow you the opportunity to ask her if she will swap with you. It’s up to her if she wants to.”

After thinking on it for a few moments she nods in the affirmative. She really doesn’t fancy a week dealing with private school kids. Even to this day she still feels intimidated by those of privileged backgrounds. They always bullied her the worst. She could also really do with the extra money seen as her insurance premium has just increased.

“Wonderful! You’d better get going, Miss Swan, sessions start in ten minutes and you still need to convince Miss Lucas. If you do succeed, please remind her to curb her language in front of the children.”  
Rushing out, she heads back into the staff room and make a beeline for Ruby.

“Ruby, Mr Gold said we have to swap.”

“Have to swap or can swap?” She enquires, knowing that he wouldn’t force anyone to change once that had been given their rota.

“Have to,” the blonde answers unconvincingly.

“Bullshit!”

“Firstly, he said you have to watch your language. Secondly, no, he didn’t say you have to but I had to agree to do the first bloody adults weekend.”

“Yay! I’m working that one too. It will be so much more fun with you,” she smiles widely.

“I swear you are the only instructor who even remotely likes those weekends.”

“What’s not to like? They are always full of rich chicks who leave their morals and sexual orientation at home for the weekend, “ she winks suggestively.

“Tramp!” Emma jokingly berates as she scrunches up her face.

“Wow. You are not doing a good job of convincing me to swap with you,” the brunette goads.

“Fine, fine, what is it going to take?”

“Glad you asked, sweet cheeks. There’s a speed dating event in the city this Saturday night and you will be coming with me.” 

“Really? Aren’t they for pathetic sad sacks?”

“It’s a lot of fun, Ems. I’ve done it a few times before.

You’ll enjoy it!”

“If you had such a great time why do you even want me to go? I’ll just cramp your style.”

“It will be fun, we can have a few drinks and a laugh. Besides, when was the last time you even got any?” 

Ruby’s eyes sparkle with mischief at that last part.

“Eww, Rubes, is it speed dating or an orgy?”

“Trust me, Ems, you need to do this. It’s about time you got over Lily.”

“I am over....”

Tick tock, Em, sessions start soon,” she says, holding up her rota to the blondes face.

“Fine, it’s not even nine and I’ve already been blackmailed twice,” she sighs as she grabs Ruby’s rota and hands hers over. “I suppose one evening for a brat free week is worth it, but you are buying the drinks at this sad fest.”

“Done and done,” she grins wolfishly. “See you at lunch. Have fun with your old biddies,” she mocks.

A sense of relief floods Emma. It’s not that she doesn’t like kids per se. It’s just the self entitled private school kids she can’t stand. Even as an adult she can’t get over her childhood. For the first time that morning a smile spreads across her face as she heads to the kayak shed to begin the inductions.

XXXXXXXX

At lunch the blonde sits with Ruby, Mulan, and August, who are already eating. Joining them with her tray laden with goodies that Granny was serving that day. Everyone called her Granny but really she was only Ruby’s granny. She had put in a good word with Mr Gold to get Ruby the job at the centre.

“So, Em, enjoy your morning with the old fuddy duddies?” Ruby teased.

“Hell yes, gave the induction and pretty much left them to it. Didn’t have to break up a single fight or answer a billion stupid questions. How was your morning?” She asked with a cocky smile.

“Had to break up one fight but I really didn’t want to, that little shit needed an ass kicking.”

They all started laughing, each of them having been in that position before, they all knew how the kids would wind each other up.

“Oh yeah, I heard you guys swapped rota’s. I can’t believe Gold let you, he’s usually pretty strict once the rota has been done. He must have a soft spot for you, Emma.”

“Damn straight!” The blonde quipped, not believing for a second that Mr Gold had a soft spot for her.

“What is it with you this week? You usually don’t mind kids,” Mulan enquired.

“It’s the private school ones I can’t stand. They are such little brats and you can’t take your eyes off them for a second. Give me adults any day,” she states with her fork pointing at no one in particular, “give them the inductions and leave them to it. Nice and easy.”

Both Mulan and August nod in agreement then Mulan asks, “what was the price for swapping?”

“I have to work the first adult weekend for Gold and Ruby roped me into a speed dating thing this Saturday,” she states nonchalantly, simply happy that she’d had an easy morning.

“Speed dating?” August asked astounded, not able to believe his two beautiful friends would ever need to resort to such a thing. “Isn’t that for lonely old cat ladies?”

“As if,” Ruby snorts, “ It’s for hot, young, professionals who don’t have time for dating. This way you go through so many more people and much quicker than with normal dating. Easier to find someone this way, simple math really.”

They all stare at Ruby. “Sure, if you say so,” Mulan says doubtfully.

“I do,” Ruby nods before swallowing a mouthful of her lunch.

“Then why are you still single?” August cockily asks, believing he has found a hole in her theory.

“I may be single but that doesn’t mean I don’t benefit from some hook ups,” she wiggles her eyebrows.

“Maybe I should come with you,” August muses.

“Eh, I don’t think so, women only. Gay women only,” she further stipulates.

“Mulan, you should come,” Emma offers, hoping to drag her friend into this. Misery loves company after all.

Ruby laughs with bemusement at that suggestion.

"Yeah, if she can get her mind off Aurora for a second.”

“You’re still into her?” Shock was evident in Emma’s voice, “I thought she was with Philip?”

“Yes, she is,” August divulges.

Mulan sighs and gets up to leave the table.

“Oops,” Emma mouths.

“Never mind her, she needs to get laid too but you are the priority case.” Ruby states, as if it is an absolute fact and leaves no room for argument.

August laughs and stands up, “I’ll leave you ladies to it, I have some paperwork to catch up on.”

“See what you’re doing, Emma? You’re and angry ball of sexlessness and you are driving everyone away,” she says before wiping her mouth on a napkin and getting up to leave.

“You’re an idiot,” Emma laughs and throws a scrunched up napkin at Ruby’s back. “What have I gotten myself into?” She quietly asks herself. Then she smiles again, happy in the knowledge that she doesn’t have any kids sessions all week.  
XXXXXXXX

Hump day arrives and that means one thing for Ruby and Emma that evening. Taking up their usual booth at the pub, they clink their beer bottles together, “here’s to surviving the first half of the week,” Ruby cheers.

“Here, here!” Emma agrees cheerfully before taking a large swig of the cool liquid.

It had become a tradition for the girls to celebrate making it half way through the week, and also the end of the week. They never really needed much of a reason to go to the pub to celebrate.

The following mornings Ruby would usually wake up with a hangover, sometimes in her own bed, sometimes in someone else’s. Emma, on the other hand, always started her mornings with a run or a workout at the centres gym, regardless of whether she was hungover or not. She liked to keep in shape for her mental health as well as her physical health. She took particular pride in her defined abs, popping biceps and strong quads.

“So, explain to me what goes on at these speed dating things,” the blonde asks in all seriousness.

“Everyone puts their keys in a bowl...” the brunette starts but breaks out in laughter at her teasing of the blonde before she can even finish her sentence.

“I know you’re not above that,” Emma deadpans, “but seriously, I want to know what to expect.”

“Relax, there’s nothing you need to worry about. There will be about twenty women in total, you get three minutes with each of them, a bell rings and you move onto the next one. Easy peasy.”

“How’s it even possible to decide if you like someone in the minutes? That’s absurd.” She exclaims.

“It’s been scientifically proven that you decide if you like someone within thirty seconds of meeting them.” Ruby replies emphatically.

“Scientifically proven? I’ve heard it all now!” She disbelievingly quips.

“It’s true. I read it somewhere. Anyway, you can tell immediately if you think someone is hot. That’s the most important thing,” she winks.

“How the hell are you not riddled with STD’s?” Emma ponders out loud.

Nonplussed the brunette simply shrugs, letting the comment roll off her. Emma often teased her for being quite sexually forward but they both knew it was more to do with her being jealous of her friends confidence. It’s not like Emma wasn’t confident, but she’d been hurt enough in the past to always tread with caution when it came to dating and women in general.

“So what happens if I decide I like someone?”

“You let the organisers know who you are interested in and ask them to pass your details over. If the person you like also likes you then their details will be passed over to you and then you get in touch with each other. If the other person hasn’t asked for their details to be passed over you won’t be classed as a match so it goes no further,” she explains as if it is the most normal thing in the World and everyone does it on a regular basis.

“Well, at least the rejection isn’t immediate and to your face,” Emma sighs.

“I like to pass my details onto anyone I wouldn’t mind getting jiggy with, it increases your odds, you know?”

“Riiight,” Emma drawls, eyeing Ruby with slight disdain. She adores her friend but damn that girl gets around.

“Hey, don’t judge me. At least I’m not mopey and miserable over some cheating skank,” Ruby spits with a not often used venom in her voice.

“Ruby,” she warns.

“What? You are miserable and she did cheat! With a guy no less!”

“Can we please just drop it? I’ve agreed to go to this stupid event with you.”

“You’re not going to get the most out of this experience with an attitude like that,” Ruby shoots back at her.

“I don’t want to make the most of it. I only agreed to go because you blackmailed me into it.”

“Blackmail? I prefer to think of it as a mutually beneficial deal. You got what you wanted so stop moaning about it. You don’t have to deal with any of the snobby kids and then you get a free night of booze in the company of hot, single ladies.”

Emma grunts and heads towards the bar, she’s going to need something stronger, but maybe, just maybe, Ruby has a point. She has been miserable since that debacle with Lily. Maybe it was time to move on or at least attempt to.

Before Lily she’d had her fair share of relationships, but nothing that really meant anything. Lily had been the longest relationship she had ever had but it definitely wasn’t love. Even so, she still couldn’t believe that Lily did what she did. It wouldn’t have been so bad if it had been with a girl but with a guy…yuck. She shakes her head and places her order. It may have been a while since she had gotten laid but that didn’t mean she was desperate enough to take this speed dating thing seriously.


	3. Room of doom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma and Regina will be meeting in the next chapter.

Saturday arrives and Regina is not pleased to have to leave Henry all weekend. She had been cursing her sisters name ever since she had agreed to this weekend away. It’s just one night away she keeps telling herself, just one night.

She’s preparing breakfast for Henry and herself before Cora arrives to take him to her house until the following evening.

“Pancakes?” Henry asks meekly from his place at the table, knowing that pancakes were only ever a treat breakfast, but he was up for trying his luck. Regina walks over to him and kisses the top of his head.

“Ok, pancakes for my prince it is.”

“Really?” He squeals in joy.

“Yes, really,” she agrees readily because of the guilt for leaving him until tomorrow. Weekends were always their time together. Henry hadn’t minded his mother going away, he was always excited to spend time with his grandma. Cora always spoiled him, more so than she did with her own daughters when they were growing up.

Once the pancakes were done, Regina joined Henry at the table, pouring him a juice and a coffee for herself.

“Mommy, can I take my cars to Grandma’s?”

“Of course, Sweety. After breakfast we will pack all your things to take with you.”

An hour later and Regina is strapping him into his car seat in her mothers car, and promising to bring him a present back from Boston.

“Just one night,” she quietly repeats to herself as she waves to her baby boy as they drive away.

Not long after, Zelena is pulling into her driveway with Kathryn in the passenger seat. She grabs her trolley case and makes her way outside to meet them. She wastes no time in putting her case in the trunk and buckling herself into the backseat. Kathryn tends to get a little car sick so there is no debating about her taking the front seat for the journey.

“Hey, Sis, ready for some fun?”

“I guess we have different definitions of fun,” she sourly replies.

“Yes, yours being meetings with stuffy old guys in stuffy boardrooms,” she says whilst holding eye contact on the rear view mirror. Regina opens her mouth to speak but before she can reply, Kathryn chips in with “play nice you two.”

She was always the voice of reason in their little group. They both roll their eyes as the car makes its way down the street.

“How is Frederick, Kathryn?” I haven’t spoken to him since the meeting regarding the upgrades for the school gymnasium.”

“He’s good, he was so happy you could allocate some of the town budget to upgrade it,” she smiles as she turns her body in her seat to talk to her friend.

Before long Kathryn turns back around to avoid triggering her travel sickness. Zelena has turned on the radio and Regina pulls out her phone to check her emails and set up meetings for the following week.

Several hours later Zelena pulls into the parking lot of their hotel and they all climb out of the car, desperate to stretch their limbs after only having one short comfort break on their journey. Regina takes in the foyer of the hotel as she steps inside, quite impressed by her sisters choice. Zelena makes her way to the receptionist and gives her name.  
“Good afternoon, you ladies will be staying in suite 17, please enjoy your stay,” the receptionist passes them their key cards and directs them to the elevator. Regina realises that they will all be sharing a room and is not best pleased. She had assumed it would be separate rooms.

“I am not sharing a room with you, who knows who you will try to bring back here tonight. She directs the statement towards Zelena.

“Don’t get you knickers in a twist, I’m on my best behaviour, scouts honour,” she says, holding up her index and middle finger together.

“You were in the girl guides and you got kicked out for smoking,” Regina inserts smugly.

“Don’t worry Regina, this is a girls weekend and Zelena won’t be doing anything untoward, will you?” She asks directing her gaze to Zelena for the last part.

“Chill your tits, boring Betty and dull Doris. Now let’s go check out the minibar,” she cheers happily as she leads the way to the elevators.

Once they are in their room Zelena makes good on her promise and heads straight to the minibar. Kathryn lays on her bed and Regina starts unpacking her case. Zelena grabs a few miniatures, downs one and throws one on each of the girls beds. Kathryn happily opens hers and starts sipping it. Regina plucks hers off her bed between her thumb and her forefinger, holding it at arms length as if it’s toxic. 

“It’s barely 4pm,” she mutters with disdain.

Zelena walks over to Regina, taking the miniature from her sister and opening it. “Regina, please put away your Mayoral pants for just one night and enjoy yourself. Lord knows you deserve it. Just for one night let go and have some fun. I promise I won’t do anything stupid so you don’t have to worry about me.

Kathryn moves from her bed and sits on Regina’s, her eyes pleading for Regina to relax and join them. “Damn peer pressure,” Regina mutters before snatching the drink and knocking back the contents of the tiny bottle. The other two women clap and cheer wildly and Regina can’t help the smile that appears across her face. She hadn’t let her hair down in such a long time, maybe it was about time she went with the flow.

“So what time is the show?”

“Eight,” Kathryn answers, no wanting to let anything slip. She looks over to Zelena, silently begging her to direct the conversation.

“So how about we get ready and head out for some drinks beforehand?” Zelena says, catching onto Kathryn’s discomfort.

“How about we have some drinks with food?” The blonde interjects sensibly.

“Sounds like a good idea,” Regina agrees.

XXXXXXXX

Just over an hour later they are getting into a cab to take them to a fancy Italian restaurant that Regina had found on Google. To Zelena’s delight it also has a cocktail bar. Kathryn was on edge, worried about how Regina would react to being told about the speed dating. Alcohol was definitely the answer.

A couple of drinks in and after their table had been cleared of dishes, they move over to the bar Regina merrily asks, “so what is this show about?”

Zelena decides that this is as good a time as any to let her sister know the true nature of their visit to Boston. Kathryn pales a bit in expectation of what is to come.

“Funny you should ask, it’s less of a show and more of an event,” Zelena vaguely answers, trying to gauge her sisters reaction. She quickly orders a round of Cosmopolitans, hoping that alcohol truly was the key to her and Kathryn escaping with their lives.

She furrows her brows in confusion, “what do you mean, an event?”

The alcohol has taken away just a bit of her minds sharpness but she was in no way drunk. When Zelena didn’t answer, just grinned, she looked over to Kathryn for a clue. The blonde was staring intently at her cocktail that was just placed in front of her to avoid eye contact with both women. This greatly aroused the Mayors suspicion.

“Zelena, what aren’t you telling me?”

“First of all, you have to know that we only did this because we love you.”

“We?” She asks a bit louder, looking from woman to woman.

Kathryn decides to grab the bull by the horns. “It’s not a show, it’s a speed dating evening. Before you freak out, just listen to me. We couldn’t tell you the real reason we wanted to bring you here because you never would have agreed, it’s so far out of your comfort zone. We know you hate it when we try to set you up on dates so we decided that we would give it one last attempt.”

“If I wanted to date anyone I would sort that out myself. I have told you both before that I am quite content!”

“Content isn’t good enough Regina. We want you to be happy,” the blonde replies.

“I am happy,” she states with less conviction in her voice at this statement.

“No, you’re not Sis,” Zelena says meaningfully, “since Mal...” her words dwindle, not wanting to push her luck.

The table goes quiet for a moment and Regina seems to ponder her options, and her sisters words. She remembers the promise she made to herself in bed after their get together the previous week.

“Ok, tell me more about it.”

This surprises everyone, including Regina. Kathryn digs around in her handbag and pulls out a leaflet. She hands it over to Regina and eyes Zelena wearily as the brunette reads the information.

“So what are you two going to do if I decide to go to this?”

“What do you mean?” Kathryn questions.

“This is for gay women,” she says as she holds up the leaflet, not seeing the need to explain any further.

A huge smile spreads across Zelena’s face, “we are doing it with you.”

Kathryn smiles and nods her head in agreement.

“Not to pokes holes in your devious plan but neither of you are gay and you are married to Fred,” she says, completely confused.

“We came here for a girls weekend so we are doing this together,” Kathryn coolly states. “I may be straight and married but no one there will know, it will be a laugh.”

Zelena laughs loudly at her sisters stunned expression. “It’s never too late to try something new!” She continues to laugh.

Regina scrunches her face up at that. She then looks at the leaflet again, taking in the details of the event. She nods her head to herself, fully accepting her own submission to this crazy idea. The mere mention of Mal made her mind up in an instant. She owed it to herself to attempt a chance at happiness, no matter how great the odds are stacked against her. At the very least it would get her sister and her friend off her back for a while. After another round of cocktails they ask the bartender to call a cab for them. Next stop, speed dating! 

XXXXXXXX

The trio had arrived at the venue with time to spare. Once they have registered they go to the bar for another round of drinks and sit in a booth at the far end of the room. They each have a cocktail in their hands and are sipping and chatting as the room starts to fill up.

“Has anyone caught your eye?” Zelena leans in close to Regina to ask.

She takes a glance around the room with an unimpressed look on her face. “I suppose that blonde over there is decent looking,” she says about the woman sitting alone a few tables over but she doesn’t really seem convinced of her own statement.  
Zelena can already feel that this is probably going to be a waste of her evil planning, so standing up she declares it ‘beer googles’ time. They continue talking and drinking for a while until the bell rings and they make their way towards the main room. Kathryn gives Regina’s hand a reassuring squeeze before taking their seats as directed by the event coordinator, a pixie haired moron in Regina’s opinion. Regina is sat at the table to Kathyn’s left and Zelena is at the table to the left of Regina’s.  
A young woman named Belle sits down opposite Regina and they smile politely at each other. She notices the decent looking blonde from the bar sitting down opposite Zelena, who gives her sister a shit eating grin. She turns her head in Kathryn’s direction to see her sitting opposite a young blonde woman.  
The event coordinator calls for everyone’s attention and reads through the rules for the evening so before she sets the three minute timer and rings the bell for the first round to begin.  
XXXXXXXXXXXX

 

“Hurry up Em, the taxi is here.”

“I’m coming!” She shouts from her bedroom.

“We are going to be late!” Ruby shouts back.

“Good,” Emma mutters to herself. She had been dragging her heels since Ruby had arrived at her apartment. She never wanted to go to this thing, but even less so now that she had what she wanted from the deal.

She grabs her jacket, downs the last of her beer, and heads out of the door with Ruby.

In the taxi Ruby puts her hand on top of Emma’s bouncing leg. “Chill out will you, anyone would think you were on your way to the gallows.”

“I might as well be,” she childishly replies.

“I never knew you had such a flair for the dramatic,” Ruby snorts.

About half an hour later they are getting out of the taxi and Ruby is leading the way into the venue. Once they’ve registered and been given their name badges, scorecard and pen, they go over to the bar area for a quick drink as Emma’s tardiness had caused them to arrive with only a few minutes to spare. Emma’s beer is finished in a few quick gulps. She orders herself another and a whiskey which Ruby dutifully hands over the cash to the bar man as part of their deal. The whiskey is demolished in a second. Emma breathes out deeply, trying to collect herself. All the while Ruby has been watching her with amusement as she sips on her wine. Emma seems to have gotten over the worst of her nerves as she relaxes into her stool.

“You ok there, Em?”

“I’ll be better when all this is over.”

“You never know, you could find the love of your life tonight.”

“Yeah and I might buy the winning lottery ticket on the way home,” comes her sarcastic reply.

A bell rings and a petite brunette calls for everyone to take their place in the main room for the event to begin. There are 12 tables with 2 chairs on either side of each table, facing each other. The petite brunette, Mary Margaret, according to her name badge sits everyone as per the seating chart on her clipboard. Carrying her beer she walks behind a strutting Ruby as they make their way to the ‘room of doom’ as Emma had quickly dubbed it in her mind. A small giggle escaped her lips at her own silly joke, maybe she should take it a bit slower with her next beer she muses. With a small sigh she straightens up and enters the ‘room of doom’.


	4. Goddess

The bell rings and Emma smiles shyly at the blonde named Elsa across the table from her. They share some basic information with each other and Emma can feel herself begin to relax, this wasn’t so bad she thought. She hoped that everyone else would be as easy to talk to as Elsa. Before she knew it the bell sounded again, signalling the end of the first round. They said their goodbyes and Emma stood up to move to the next table as instructed by Mary Margaret. Elsa was nice she thought, but not someone she would want to date so she ticked the ‘friend’ box on her scorecard.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by a stunning brunette sitting a few seats down. “Fuuuuck” she quietly drawls whilst staring at the beauty. She feels her nerves start to jangle when she realises she will be having three minutes with her. All of a sudden she feels herself trip but catches herself before she ends up on the floor. In her letching at the brunette she had walked into the chair she was meant to sit on, causing a bit of a clatter. All eyes in the room turned to her, including those of the Goddess, as she had been dubbed in Emma’s mind. She flushes bright red but she wasn’t sure if it was from making an ass of herself or from the intense stare of the brunette who was smirking a little. Emma couldn’t figure out if the smirking was from her trip or because she caught her staring. Damn it! I’m still staring! She quickly averts her gaze and concentrates on nothing but getting her butt into the chair in front of her.

XXXXXXXX

Regina was thanking any and all deities she could think of for the brevity of the rounds when she was disturbed from her thoughts by the crashing sound not far from her. She looked up to see a very attractive blonde straighten herself up after walking into a chair. The blonde was staring intently at her, in a way that she couldn’t quite decipher. The blonde woman was concentrating on no one but Regina, to the brunettes joy. She wouldn’t let herself simply smile back, she wanted the blonde to know that she was aware of her staring so she gave her a little smirk. It seemed to bring the blonde out of her reverie and all of a sudden she was aware of what she was doing. Regina had taken in her name, Emma. She was looking forward to meeting beautiful but clumsy Emma. 

The decent looking blonde from earlier sat in front of Regina, ‘Tink’ was the name on her badge. I bet she’s some sort of hippy, Regina thought to herself.

Kathryn had noticed the staring between Regina and the blonde woman. Maybe this wouldn’t be such a bust after all she mused.

As it turned out, Tink was quite pleasant and indeed she was a hippy. Apparently she lived in a caravan in the woods somewhere, where she grew her own vegetables and made wind chimes. When the bell once again rang the same deities from earlier were again being thanked by the brunette.

Emma sat down and resisted the urge to shake her head at herself. Had it really been that long since she had been with anyone that just seeing a beautiful woman turned her into a stumbling idiot? Get it together Swan, she silently berates herself.  
The bell rings and the woman in front of her began to talk. She was trying to concentrate on what the woman was saying but her mind was way too distracted. So much so that she hadn’t even realised that the woman in front of her had stopped talking and was looking at her in expectation of a reply it seemed.

“Oh... urm... sorry?”

The woman, Milah, Emma finally notices her name! She looks so offended that Emma hadn’t been paying attention.

“Sorry, I’m just a little nervous. I’ve never done this before,” it’s only a half lie really.

Milah’s voice softens at this explanation that she easily buys.

“I understand, the first time can be a bit overwhelming.”

“You’ve done this before?”

“Oh yeah, a few times actually. It does get easier.” The brunette continues to prattle on, but Emma can’t get her mind off another brunette. Before she can get a word in, the bell rings and she’s ticking the ‘no’ on her scorecard. At least she’s one table and three minutes closer to meeting the Goddess.

After another round Emma is sitting in front of Zelena and has a perfect view of the beautiful brunette. Regina glances over, disturbed by the feeling of being watched. She’s pleased to see that it is the clumsy blonde from earlier that is watching her.   
Emma just couldn’t take her eyes off her until Zelena coughs theatrically, smiling wickedly between her sister and the blonde in front of her.

“This just got interesting,” the redhead says out loud, sitting back in her chair. Regina ducks her head and tries to concentrate on the woman at her table. Emma smiles shyly and diverts her eyes to Zelena, a little taken aback by the glint in her eyes.

“Hello my pretty.”

“Hello,” Emma replies meekly.

I am so going to have some fun with this one, Zelena decides.

RING!

“So blondie, I’ve never actually been with a woman before but I’m sure I’ve seen some toilets at the back if you want to be my first?” It takes all her self control to not laugh at the blondes reaction.

“Wh...what?” Emma stutters, totally thrown off by the redheads question.

Just to push things a little further, in complete Zelena style, she rubs her foot up Emma’s strong calf and licks her lip, giving her a cheeky wink.

“I... uh... I still have other people to sit with,” hoping that the very forward woman would take that as her reason for rejecting her.

Zelena is desperately trying to keep a straight face and not laugh out loud at Emma’s obvious discomfort. 

Emma looks over to Ruby at the next table as if she were a security blanket. Ruby is too engrossed with the woman in front of her to notice Emma’s desperate eyes. She brings her focus back to Zelena, not sure what to say but before she can say anything Zelena takes control once again. But this time she decides to ease up a bit.

“No need to pee yourself, blondie. I’m just screwing with you.”

“What? Why?”

“Because I’ve been watching you making dreamy eyes at my sister,” she grins, nodding her head towards Regina.

Emma looks over to the stunning brunette and blushes furiously.

“She’s your sister?”

“Half. The uglier half,” she winks.

“Urm...” Emma leaves the rest unsaid.

“I guess you don’t agree,” she says with mock hurt in her voice.

“She’s just so beautiful,” Emma almost whispers, glancing over at Regina again. This time the brunette catches her eye and smiles back. She looks back towards Zelena who has a massive grin gracing her features.

RING!

Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Emma doesn’t even say goodbye to Zelena, she’s solely focussed on Regina and getting to her table without making a fool of herself again.

“Hello Emma.”

Emma’s brows crinkle, how does she know my name? She notices Regina’s name badge and automatically looks down at her own. Duh! She feels like face palming herself.

“Hi,” she greets with a lopsided grin.

“Would you like to take a seat, Emma?” She asks, making sure to put extra emphasis on the blondes name. Her confidence has grown exponentially since first noticing the blondes interest in her.

“Uh, yeah. Thanks.” She praises herself when she manages to sit down without stumbling.

Regina can’t seem to wipe the pleased grin off her face at the effect she is having on the very attractive blonde. Under the table Emma is wiping her sweaty palms on her jean clad knees. The brunette can clearly see her nervousness and she wants to eliminate it.

“You know, I have never been to one of these events before and I was quite nervous,” she wanted to Emma to see it was ok to be nervous.

“You were? But why? I’m sure everyone here is going to tick the yes box when it comes to you.”

Regina laughs deeply at that and Emma is bewitched by the sound.

“Thank you, dear. I’m sure you’ll be getting a few ticks yourself.”

Emboldened by this, Emma asks, “including yours?”

“I guess you will have to wait and see,” she teases with a wink. Emma is so pleased that her wink is nothing like her sisters. She begins to relax and for the first time that night she is really glad she came.

“So Emma, you have a job I assume?”

“Yeah, I’m an outdoor pursuits instructor. How about yourself?”

“I’m a Mayor in a town a few hours away.” She hadn’t shared that piece of information with anyone else this evening. When a few of the women had asked she simply replied that she was in politics. There was something about Emma that made her more than willing to share that information.

“Wow, that sounds like a lot of responsibility.”

“It is. Between that and my son, I keep busy.”

“You have a son?” Emma is genuinely surprised and completely ok with this piece of information.

“Yes, he is my world.” If Emma thought Regina was beautiful before it was nothing compared to that incredibly big, bright smile on her face when talking about her son.

“How old is he?”

“Henry is four.”

Did that smile just get even bigger?

Emma couldn’t help smiling as well, Regina just looked so damn happy talking about her son.

Regina took this as a good sign, not everyone would be ok with the fact she has a child. She knew that from past experience.

“So this must be his first year in school?” Emma asks.

“Yes, and he absolutely loves it. I was dreading his first day, I thought it would be nothing but tears but as soon as I let his hand go on the yard he ran straight to the climbing frame and made friends. There were a few tears but they were all mine I must admit.” 

Emma gives a little chuckle at that. “I always hated school, you’re lucky he enjoys it.”

“I know, I see some of the children and how they behave when they are being dropped off in the morning. It truly makes me appreciate his laid back nature. Anyway, that’s enough about me. I’m sure I have take up more than half our time. Please tell me something about you.” She politely requests with a smile.

“Urm, I really enjoy my job, it has allowed me to travel all over the country and Ruby,” she cocks her thumb to her brunette friend at the next table, “is my best friend and the reason I’m here tonight.”

RING!

Both of their smiles drop immediately.

“I guess I’d better move over,” Emma says dejectedly and still not moving.

“Yes, I guess so,” Regina solemnly replies.

They continue to stare at each other until Ruby is right behind Emma, smiling broadly, having gathered that they didn’t want to part from each other. She loudly clears her throat, causing everyone to turn their heads, including Kathryn and Zelena, who in turn look at each other, seemingly pleased with themselves.

Emma looks up at Ruby. “Why don’t you move to the next table, Rubes?”

“No chance,” she replies whilst eyeing up Regina.

With a sigh, Emma stands up. “It was nice talking to you Regina,” she says with a slight blush and a huge smile.

“You too, dear,” she replies with a smile of her own.

Emma very unenthusiastically moves over to Kathryn’s table as Ruby takes her place in front of Regina.

She looks back at Regina and they share another smile. Once again Ruby clears her throat, breaking the gaze between the two women. Throughout the next three minutes Emma and Regina keep stealing glancing at each other, sometimes at the same time, causing them both to break into a smile each time. After another two rounds the host calls for a short refreshment break. Emma immediately looks towards Regina, pleasantly surprised to see the brunette looking right back at her.

Ruby slings her arm over the blondes shoulder, “another drink?”

“Hang on, give me a minute,” before she can help herself she is making her way towards Regina. The brunette is flanked by both her friends as Emma approaches. All three of them look at the blonde whose confidence has begun to waiver.

“Hi... again,” she manages to mumble, to the amusement of all three women. Regina is quite enamoured by the blonde to her own surprise and decided to put her out of her misery.

“Would you be so kind as to join me for a drink, Emma?”

Her face lights up, “yeah, absolutely. I’d love to,” she beams.

They walk side by side to the bar area, leaving behind a bemused Kathryn and Zelena, as well as an annoyed Ruby.

“Damn, how did she manage to pull?” The lanky brunette says aloud to herself.

The bar is a bit crowded so Emma asks Regina to grab them a table but not before asking her what she would like to drink. After a couple of minutes Emma turns from the bar with a beer in one hand and a glass of chardonnay as requested by Regina, in the other. She searches the room to find where Regina is sitting. Her eyes fall onto the beauty sitting at a corner table near the window. She makes her way over and places the wine in front of her before taking a seat. She takes a long swig of her beer hoping that Regina will start the conversation.

“Would you like to tell me a bit more about yourself, Emma? I feel like I did nothing but talk about myself earlier.”

“There isn’t much more to tell really. I live on the outskirts of the city, I’ve done the same kind of job since school and Ruby, as you already know is my best friend.”

She grabs her beer, taking another long swig and wondering why she didn’t try to make herself seem a bit more interesting.

“I know you said you enjoy your job but you must really love it if you’ve been doing the same thing since school.”

“It’s great for the most part, it has its ups and downs. I was never any good at studying in school, which is partly why I never enjoyed it and so I always knew I’d end up doing a job using my body rather than my brain. At first I was a lifeguard down in Florida then later I taught snowboarding and skiing in the winter months then I moved onto teaching soccer at summer camps. I’ve moved about a lot, moving with the seasons but I’ve stuck in the same place for the last two years,” she finished with a smile. She really had enjoyed the jobs she had done. She had travelled to some amazing places and met some wonderful people but she had never been able to plant any roots. She guessed it was because of her childhood and the fact she was always moved from home to home. This was the longest she had ever stayed anywhere.

“I can definitely see the benefits the job has had on your body,” the brunette purrs as she lightly circles the rim if her glass with her index finger whilst maintaining eye contact with the blonde.

Emma has no idea where there is more blood at that very moment, her cheeks or her groin. Regina is looking at her as if she was ready to devour her whole at any moment. Regina surprised herself with her own behaviour but there really was something about this blonde. She is mouth wateringly beautiful and from what she could tell from the way the dress shirt clung to her shoulders and biceps, she was in pretty great shape. She found it amusing that the blonde seemed to be almost constantly blushing, unaware of her own beauty. She had already realised that she would need to take the lead with the shy blonde if they were to take this any further.

“So what about you?”

“What about me, dear?”

“Urm… well what else is there about you besides being Mayor and a mom?”

“Oh right,” now understanding what the blonde was asking.

“When I was younger I spent a lot of time with horses and I became a very good show jumper but then I suffered a lower back injury after falling from my horse so I gave that up. After school I went to University to study business and politics. I always wanted to be Mayor of my hometown so once I finished my education I returned home to work under my mother as she was the Mayor before me. Then just over three years ago I adopted Henry which was the best decision I have ever made.”

There was that thousand watt smile again that Emma couldn’t help smiling at in return.

“You.. you adopted him?” Emma asked hesitantly.

“Yes. My ex and myself were about to start the adoption process but she backed out of it and our relationship, but it was something I wanted to do so I continued by myself. Everyone was telling me not to do it by myself and I did have doubts but I’m so glad I did it.” 

“That is one lucky kid. I would have given anything to be adopted by someone that truly wanted me, even if they were on their own.” She quietly states.

Oh, you were in care as a child?”

“Yeah, I was placed in the system at birth then bounced around from home to home until I was old enough to leave the system.” She realises that this is a bit of a downer thing to say so she quickly changes her demeanour, “you did the right thing by not listening to anyone.”

Regina beamed at this. “Thank you, dear. I do often wonder if I had done the right thing. Not because I don’t want Henry but sometimes I think that he could have been adopted by a couple and he could have had a mother and father.” She frowns when saying the last part of the sentence.   
Emma leans a bit further over the table and takes one of Regina’s hands in her own. “Hey, listen to me, I guarantee you that you did the right thing. If you hadn’t adopted him there is no telling what would have happened to him. This way he has ended up out of the system and with someone who obviously loves him more than anything. The kid has hit the jackpot.” They both smile widely, knowing it was the truth.

*RING*

“If you would all like to make your way back to the hall we will proceed with the evening,” Mary Margaret proclaimed loudly.

The smiles instantly drop from both of their faces. Feeling more comfortable with Regina, Emma dares to ask, “would you maybe like to have another drink with me? It’s ok if you want to go back of course. I mean you did come here for this dating thing.” She gestures with her hand to the room that everyone is making their way to.

Now it’s Regina’s turn to reach over and take Emma’s hand. 

“I would much rather stay here and talk to you.” She says whilst giving the hand in hers a gentle squeeze and a coy smile.

“Really?” 

“You sound surprised, dear.”

“ Well yeah. I guess I am. I didn’t think I would find anyone here to talk to let alone someone that would want to talk to me.”

“Me neither but I find myself rather intrigued by you.”

“Intrigued?” She questions.

A loud whistle startled the pair who quickly took their hands apart and look towards the entrance of the room where the noise came from, seeing a smirking Zelena.

“You coming, Sis?” She shouted over.

Regina rolled her eyes at her sisters uncouth behaviour.

“Excuse me a moment, please?” She asked while standing up.

Emma simply nodded her agreement as she watched the brunette walk over to her sister before turning back around and nervously picking at the label on her empty beer bottle. Once she approached Zelena she quipped, “do you have to screech across the room like a demented banshee?”

“The bell has sounded you know? I had to ask the pixie haired, doe eyed, twerp to hang on for you.” she states, completely ignoring her sisters comment.

“Thank you but I won’t be returning,” she states and she glances over to Emma.

“Ah, So you are having your own small soirée with the blonde muscles,” she winks at her sister.

“Yes, Emma and I have decided we would rather continue talking than go back in.” A smile plastered on her face and a blush creeping up her cheeks.

“Good for you, Sis!” She exclaims whilst giving her an overly hard pat on the back, causing the brunette to have to steady herself. “I told you this was a good idea.”

“By the law of averages you had to be right about something at least once in your life.” She acquiesced.

“Jesus, why did admitting that make you look like you were going to pass out?” Zelena teased.

The host appeared behind the sisters, “ I really must insist that we continue now. With or without you.”

“ I’ll leave you to it then. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” She smirks before following behind Mary Margaret.

“Zelena,” she calls out, making the red head turn around. “Thank you.” She smiles at her sister.

“Thank me in the morning.” She laughs and continues back to the event hall.

Shaking her head and smiling she heads to the bar to grab them both a drink before sitting back down with the blonde who has a naked bottle in front of her and loads of confetti pieces of label.

“Sorry about that.”

“It’s ok.” She smiles at the brunette and scoops up the tiny pieces of label before pushing them down the neck of the empty bottle. “Thank you for the drink.” She says when she remembers her manners.

“You’re welcome, now where were we?”

“You said you were intrigued by me.” She says a little bashfully.

“Indeed. I was tricked into coming here tonight and like yourself I didn’t really think I would meet anyone I was interested in talking to.”

“Tricked?”

“My sister and Kathryn brought me here under false pretences. They told me we were going to see a show, little did I know that I was going to be part of it.”

The blonde laughs at the revelation then admits, “ I was blackmailed into coming.”

They continue talking until the bell rings for the final time, signalling the end of the evening. When Kathryn and Zelena make their way over, Regina tells them that she will get a taxi back to the hotel later and that they should continue with their evening without her. Emma sees Ruby at the bar and makes her way over to tell her friend that she will be staying with Regina a little longer and that Ruby shouldn’t wait for her. This get a big cheer from Ruby and Emma just shyly smiles and thanks her friend before making her way back over to Regina with new drinks. They continue talking into the small hours of the morning until a barman interrupts them and explains that they are closing. It feels to both of them like the evening has gone by in the blink of an eye. They are reluctant to leave and Emma suggests that they could go to an all night diner close by.

“I don’t know about you but I could really do with a coffee and some waffles.” The blonde uses as way of explanation, too unsure of herself to simply ask the brunette to spend more time with her.

“It’s 2am and you want breakfast?” She asks with a raise of an eyebrow.

“Urm… well I don’t have to have the waffles.” The blonde mumbles as she bows her head, looking at her hands on the table.

Regina can feel her heart ache for woman in front of her. Over the course of the night she has gotten the feeling that the blonde is rather submissive and lacks confidence, probably due to her background and never having a stable home where she would be loved and encouraged.

“It must be 8am somewhere and waffles do sound good.” She says with a wide smile as the blonde looks at her with a smile of her own. She stands up, holding her hand out for the blonde to take, which she does happily.

They make their way to the closet to collect their coats and Emma helps Regina into hers before throwing on her own jacket. “Lead the way.” The brunette states before taking the blondes offered hand and walking with her out of the door.

They make their way down the street, walking hand in hand for a couple of blocks to the diner, Emma telling her how good the food is, especially the waffles. Normally Regina wouldn’t feel safe walking around a big city at that time of night. Normally she wouldn’t be holding hands with basically a complete stranger either but there is something about Emma that makes her feel comfortable and safe. 

At the entrance to the diner Emma holds the door open for Regina and then leads them to a booth at the back before taking her coat and hanging it on the coat stand, along with her own. They both order a coffee and waffles when the waitress comes to take their order.

“I am really looking forward to these waffles, you’ve really talked them up.”

“To be fair, I will eat anything so maybe I don’t have the highest standards.”

“I am sure they will be delicious and I have drunk more tonight than I am used to. Having something in my stomach is probably a good idea.”

“Waffles are always a good idea,” Emma happily chirps.

Regina gives her a fond smile and they keep chatting until their order arrives. She hums her approval at the first bite of her food.

“Ok, fine, you were right. These are wonderful. Henry would love them too.”

“Told you.” Emma says after swallowing a mouthful.

After they have finished their food they continue talking, never running out of anything to speak of. Eventually the sun begins to rise and Regina places her hand over her mouth, trying to cover a yawn.

“We should really get you back to your hotel.” Emma says with care in her voice.

Regina simply lifts an eyebrow and smirks at Emma.

“No, no, I didn’t mean it like that.” A deep crimson shading her cheeks.

Regina can’t help but laugh. “I know what you meant but it really is so easy to tease you.”

“Unfair.” Emma whines.

“Let me make it up to you. Pass me your phone.”

Emma dutifully hands it over and Regina saves herself to the blondes contacts before handing the phone back.

“Goddess.” The blonde reads out.

“Yes, you weren’t as quiet as you thought when you said that earlier.

“Shit. I said that out loud?”

“Yes, dear.” Regina chuckled. 

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s not a bad thing to be called.” 

Emma blushes and calls a couple of cabs as way of distraction. When the first one arrives they walk outside before promising to keep in touch and Regina gives the blonde a small chaste kiss on her cheek before getting into the cab. Emma stands there in a state of delirium that is soon interrupted by her cab arriving and taking her to the opposite side of the city to her apartment. She debated with herself for a good twenty minutes before deciding to send a quick text to the woman who had kept her enraptured all night.

“Thank you for a wonderful night. I hope you get back safely. Emma xxx”

A couple of minutes pass without reply and she begins to wonder if perhaps Regina had given her the wrong number by mistake. She opens up her contacts, scrolls to ‘Goddess’ and starts counting the digits when a text comes through.  
“I had a wonderful night too. I have just gotten to the hotel safely. Hopefully I can get a few hours of sleep before we have to leave. I have saved time by already having had breakfast ;) Regina.”

Emma laughed out loud, not noticing the cab driver glance at her through the rear view mirror. This time there was no debating before she messaged her back.

“Sweet dreams.”


	5. Cornered

Cornered

A continuous banging sound had Emma’s head shooting up from her cocoon of pillows and duvet as she surveyed her surrounding through bleary eyes. It took her a few seconds to realise she was in her bed and that someone was using her apartment door to evoke the spirits of the Underworld, or so it sounded like that. She threw off the duvet and made her way to the door, grumbling all the way about being woken up early on a Sunday morning. She had a quick look through the peephole, sighing when she saw Ruby with a brown paper bag being held between her teeth and a take away cup in each hand. She opened the door just as the brunettes foot was about to strike the door again. 

“I do have neighbours you know, I don’t think they will appreciate you waking them up,” she says as she snatches the bag from between her friends teeth and walks back through the hallway to the kitchen.

Ruby simply smirks at her and nods her head towards the clock on the wall behind the blonde.

“Oh… well, urm… how do you know my neighbours don’t like to sleep in until almost three?” She mumbles the last part and decides that now would be a good time to open the bag and avoid the brunettes inquisitive eyes.

“Oh shit!” Ruby gasps, almost causing Emma to drop the sandwich she is pulling from the bag.

“What?” Emma asks exasperated with Ruby constantly startling her.

“Is she here? Is that why you haven’t been answering your phone?”

“Is who here?” She asks before taking a huge bite of her sandwich. She knows exactly who Ruby is referring to but she isn’t willing to give anything away just yet.

“The sex on legs with questionable taste in women, from last night.”

“Questionable taste in women? I have no idea who you mean. BUT the gorgeous Mayor Mills with impeccable taste in women is not here.” She says, smiling to herself.

“Mayor Mills? Huh. She told me she was in politics but nothing more, it was like trying to get blood from a stone, talking to her. So what happened after you abandoned me?”

Emma can’t keep the smile off her face as she gives Ruby the details of night before as they sip coffee and finish their food.

“She has a kid? Dodged a bullet with that one,” Ruby declares.

“You didn’t dodge any bullet because her gun was definitely not aimed at you.”

The brunette cocks her head to the side and narrows her eyes in bemusement.

“Okay, bad metaphor, but you know what I mean. Anyway, how did things go for you? Was it a long walk of shame for you this morning?” The blonde teases with a wink.

“No walk at all but I did pass on my details to a few of the women so it’s just a matter of time,” she confidently states.

Emma laughs and shakes her head at her friend before throwing away the trash from their lunch. They make their way to the lounge where they spend the rest of the afternoon chatting and binge watching Netflix.

XXXXXXXX

It was later that evening as Emma was wrapping a towel around herself after stepping out of the shower when her phone beeps. She picks it up quickly, praying that it was Regina. She had kept her phone close to her all day in the hope that the beauty would contact her. She didn’t want to be the first to get in touch that day because she knew Regina would be busy with her son.

She actually did a happy dance when she saw it was Regina who had text her. Of course she would deny that until her dying days if anyone was to ask. Sitting down on her bed she opened the message.

“Hello, dear. I’m sorry I didn’t message you sooner but it has been a rather hectic day and I have not long gotten Henry to sleep. How has your day been?”

“Hey, I have had a pretty chill day after a looong lie in :) How is the little man?”

“He was very hyper when I got home. I’m sure my mother purposely gives him candy before I collect him. I had to read him three separate books before he finally fell asleep.”

“That little dude is living the dream! Candy and bedtime stories, I’m jealous. All I have is Netflix and coffee.”

“Well last night you did have waffles and my company so I don’t think you can complain!”

“No complaints here. But I’m not sure how any other night can live up to that from now on.”

The next thing Emma knows her phone is ringing and ‘Goddess’ is flashing on the screen. She hits the answer icon and holds the phone to her ear.

“Hello Emma, maybe this will help brighten your evening.”

“It most certainly does. If only I had some candy and could get you to read me a story.” She chuckled.

Regina laughed happily at Emma’s playful and easy going nature. She found it so easy to talk to the blonde. It was like that had been friends for years and were naturally comfortable with each other. Once she got under Emma’s shy exterior the previous evening she found a funny, warm, and sweet woman. She couldn’t believe it had been less than 24 hours since they had met. 

“So did you get the Spanish inquisition from you sister and friend this morning?”

“Well, seen as it is my sister we are talking about, I’d call it more of a witch hunt.”

“Wouldn’t that make you the witch?” Emma smugly asserts.

Regina is silent for a second, realising Emma is correct but not liking it one bit. She can’t help but smile when she hears Emma trying to hold back a laugh unsuccessfully.

“You are lucky I like you, Miss Swan.” It just kind of fell out of her mouth, which she quickly snapped shut in order to control her traitorous lips.

“Very lucky indeed,” came the immediate reply.

Regina bit her bottom lip, trying to contain the smile on her face. She had no idea how Emma could make her feel like a teenager but she really didn’t mind. They continued talking for a couple more hours about everything and nothing, before they decided to say good night as they both had to work the following day.

XXXXXXXX

The next morning Emma is greeted by her colleagues with knowing smirks.

“Ruby!” She hollers as she enters the staff room during lunch, making her way to the her sheepish looking friend.

“Hey Ems, I would love to stay and chat but..”

“I think you have done enough chatting,” she interrupts. “What the hell have you been telling people? Granny just gave me an extra helping of casserole and told me I need to keep my strength up!”

“I may have said that you spent the night with a woman you met at speed dating,” she tries to sound innocent but she knows what she has done.

“Why would you say that? You know what that sounds like!” She rubs her temples, not because of the impending headache but to try and soothe her homicidal thoughts at that moment.

“I had a free period this morning, so I was helping out Granny in the kitchen when Mr Gold came in started talking to us about a doctor’s appointment he has. I really didn’t want to hear about any of his old man ailments so I kinda, may have, let slip about you with a side of exaggeration.”

“I… you... argh!”

“Did you or did you not get extra casserole that you love? You can’t be mad at me,” she pouts, fluttering her eyelashes.

The blonde takes a deep breath, “you need to fix this, like now!”

“Okay, okay. I’ll go set Granny straight. She’s the biggest gossip there is, once she knows the truth everyone else will know by the end of the day. I’m glad gossiping doesn’t run in the family,” Ruby finishes with complete seriousness.

Emma can do nothing but stare at her friends retreating form, absolutely stunned by the brunettes lack of self-awareness.

XXXXXXXX  
A couple of weeks later and Regina is sitting in her bed, chatting to Emma on the phone as per their nightly ritual. They would text each other where possible throughout the day and somehow they had fallen into the habit of making sure to speak to each other before going to sleep.

“So, I’ve been thinking…” Emma begins.

“That explains why you sound like you are in pain,” Regina quips.

“You are a mean lady, did anyone ever tell you that?” Mock hurt in the blondes voice.

“No one that ever lived to tell the tale,” she shoots back.

“Eesh, I’d better watch my back.”

“It’s not your back I’m overly concerned with Miss Swan.”

It’s that right there that brought Emma back to what she was about to say to Regina before the Mayor had gone full smarty pants on her. The weeks of subtle and sometimes not so subtle flirting had made up her mind.

“Well, urm,” she clears her throat, “I was thinking that maybe, if you’d like, we should maybe meet up again.” She shuts her eyes, unsure of the outcome but knowing she had to ask.

“That sounds like a great idea.”

“Yeah, really?” Her eyes shoot open and butterflies have exploded in her stomach.

“Absolutely. I’m sure my mother will take Henry for an afternoon. Does this weekend suit you?”

“I have to work this weekend and the one after that.”

“Oh,” she replies, slightly deflated. She had been toying with the idea of suggest that they meet up for a few days but wasn’t willing to put herself in a position to get rejected.

“Yeah, part of the deal I made that led me to meeting you was to work this weekend, which was totally worth it by the way. The following weekend was something I had already agreed to a while ago. But any time after that is good with me.”

Regina feels herself blushing slightly and once again bites her bottom lip. She releases it from between her teeth and soothes over it with her tongue. I really must stop doing that, she thinks to herself.

“What about one of the evenings over the weekend?” She suggests, praying that she didn’t just sound completely desperate.

Emma goes on to explain how during the Spring and Summer months the outdoor pursuits centre holds adult weekends and everything those weekends entail, including the fact that she has to sleep over at the centre when she’s working those courses.

“I will speak to my mother tomorrow to make arrangements for Henry and we can go from there?” She hopefully suggests.

“Sounds like a plan,” the blonde readily agrees.

“Wonderful.” She beams.

They say their goodnights and squabble over who should hang up first before Emma is left taking into nothingness, feeling stupid when she realises Regina has already hung up on her. Just as she reaches over to plug her phone into the charger her phone beeps with an incoming message.

“You did tell me to hang up ;P” 

She quickly types back, “guess I need to be careful what I wish for.”

“Or just make better wishes.”

“I wish Regina would send me a naked picture of herself.” She thinks hard about actually sending it. Maybe it’s a bit too much she deliberates. The easy back and forth between them had put her mind at enough ease to quickly hit send and hope for the best.

“Crap, crap, crap!” She berates herself out loud after two whole minutes of radio silence from the Goddess. 

Just as she is about to grab her phone to type out a grovelling apology a picture message comes through.

“Holy shit! No way!” She exclaims. Her thumb hovering over the message icon, savouring this moment before she gets to see Regina in all her naked glory. Her excitement gets the better of her and she quickly taps down on the screen.

She smiles fondly down at the picture of Regina who has a smug smile on her face and quirked eyebrow peaking out from above the duvet tightly wrapped around her body.

“I don’t believe that was what I asked for, Mayor Mills.” She cheekily sends back.

“It is EXACTLY what you asked for Miss Swan. I promise you I am 100% naked under here.”

“Damn you woman! There is no way I will be able to fall asleep now. My imagination is running riot and it’s all your fault.”

“That sounds like a whole lot of your problem, may I suggest you take matters into your own HANDS ;0 Goodnight Miss Swan.” Emma squeezes her thighs together, trying to control the building fire.

She stares open mouthed down at her phone. Holy Hell, did she just tell me to do what I think she just told me to do Emma asks in her mind. She scrolls back up to the picture of Regina, the brunettes beautiful, sparkling eyes looking back at her. Emma had quickly discovered that Regina did not have any form of social media after her and Ruby had begun a very brief stalking mission the afternoon after the speed dating event. All they were able to find were some pictures on Google of the Mayor at political events and the like. But this picture she has in front of her was of the woman behind the public mask, the woman with a warm heart and wicked sense of humour. This was the Regina that she had grown to know, mischief in her eyes and a challenging smirk spread out across that beautiful face. Seeing the brunette without makeup was a sight to behold. She didn’t think that it was possible to be even more attracted to the stunning woman but she was happy to be proved wrong.

As she’s staring at those full, plump lips, one of her hands takes on a mind of its own and slowly makes its way down her abs and into the front of her boy shorts. Her liquid heat coats her fingertips before she can think twice about what she’s doing. A gentle moan passes her lips as she spreads her legs a little wider to accommodate her demanding hand. She dips inside herself and slowly drags her coated fingers back up to her hard bud where she begins to make firm circles, increasing the speed with every passing minute. She would like nothing more than to push her other hand under her vest where she knows she will find tight, hard nipples to squeeze, but that would mean putting her phone down and she just isn’t willing to make that sacrifice. 

“Mmm, fuck, Regina. That’s it baby.” She’s sucking in air harshly as her hips jerk beneath the ministrations of her relentless digits, her eyes never leaving the beauty on her screen. Wanting more than anything for it to really be Regina touching her.

“Oh God, right there! Don’t stop.” She feels her release approaching, faster than is normal for her but that isn’t surprising considering the image she holds in her hand. 

Her mind takes her back to the night they met, the feel of Regina’s hand in her own, those full lips softly pressed to her cheek and that’s all it takes for her body to stiffen, and her thighs to clamp shut as her inner muscles desperately flutter against nothing. 

“Mmm, yes.” She moans into the darkness of her room as she comes down from her Regina induced high. She smiles as her breathing evens out and her heart slows down, endorphins swimming through her blood vessels. She drifts off to sleep within a matter of moments, her phone dropped somewhere in the duvet and her hand still in her boy shorts, gently cupping herself.

XXXXXXXX

 

It was barely even noon and Regina already knew she wouldn’t be finishing on time today. Albert Spencer had been her first meeting of the morning and caused her to overrun by almost an hour because of his silly demands to have a golf course in Storybrooke. Of all the ridiculous things he could think of, a golf course, really? Although, a golf club would be handy to have hanging around the next time he won’t remove himself from her office on time, she muses. She pulls herself out of her daydreaming to quickly dials her mother.

“Regina, sweetheart,” her mother answers with a smile.

“Hello mother, I was hoping for a favour from you?”

“I am doing great, thanks for asking,” she replies sarcastically.

Regina smiles knowing her mother isn’t actually offended. Cora of course agrees to have Henry after school that evening as long as Regina promises to have lunch. She often misses that meal due to her hectic schedule, much to Cora’s chagrin. They say their goodbyes and Regina can relax knowing that she will be able to finish all her work that day without having to worry about Henry.

XXXXXXXX

It was almost seven that evening when Regina pulls up in her mothers driveway. She lets herself in and is greeted by a squealing Henry running into her legs and holding her tight around her knees.

“Hello my sweet boy, did you have a good day at school?” She asks and she hauls him up against her hip and carries him through to the kitchen where she hears her mother and sister chatting.

“Yes, mommy! I drawded a picture for Grandma,” he points to the piece of paper with colourful, squiggly lines all over it, pinned to the fridge.

“You drew a picture for Grandma,” she states, putting emphasis on the correct word.

He nods his understanding and repeats the sentence correctly before wriggling in her arms to convey his need to be set down on the floor so he can continue playing with his cars.

She greets her mother with a kiss to her cheek before sitting next to her sister at the kitchen island.

“At least he’s narrowing down his future career options early because he will definitely not be working in the arts,” the redhead states as she lifts her head from her laptop in lieu of an actually greeting.

Cora giggles and gently smacks her eldest daughter with the towel she had been using to dry the dishes from dinner.

Regina shakes her head, no one escapes Zelena’s teasing, not even her four year old nephew apparently. 

“How was work?” Cora asks Regina as she busies herself pulling a plate of food out of the oven for the brunette.

“You didn’t have to keep me any food, Mother. I can look after myself,” she meekly argues, knowing very well that she wouldn’t have bothered cooking for herself tonight as Henry had already eaten.

Cora takes the seat opposite her and doesn’t bother to contest that lie. 

“Work was fine. I just got a little behind and I really want to keep on top of things as I may be going out of town for a day in the near future.

“Another meeting?” Cora queries.

“Not quite,” she blushes and clears her throat, keeping her eyes on her food.

The demure behaviour of her normally very confident sister catches Zelena’s attention.

“Oh my God! Does this have something to do with Blondie McMuscles from Boston?”

“Who?” Cora askes, confused at this point.

“The hot piece I told you about. The one she met in Boston at the speed dating event. Emma is it?”

“Yes, her name is Emma and we are planning on meeting up soon.” 

Zelena grabs some of her own hair and holds it up to Regina’s cheek. “Look, we match!” She says, pointing out the obvious blush on her sisters face.

Cora laughs along with Zelena but seeing her youngest’s discomfort she soon stops and takes her chin in her hand, making her look up at her.

“Sweetheart, this is good! I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you, Mother,” she smiles back at her.

“Euch, we aren’t the bloody Walton’s you know,” the redhead interrupts their moment then continues to show her displeasure by putting two fingers in her mouth and making gagging noises.

Regina elbows her and shoots daggers at her.

“So when exactly are you meeting her?” Zelena asks, ignoring Regina’s death glare.

“I’m not quite sure. I was hoping this weekend but she’s working the next couple of weekends, so some time after that. I was wondering if you would be able to take Henry for the day when we do pick a date, Mother.”

“Hang on, I thought Kathryn said she worked at some sport thing for school kids. Wouldn’t that be during, Oh, I don’t know… school time?” She mockingly questions.

“She works at an outdoor pursuits centre actually and they cater for both adults and children. It just so happens that they also do specialised adult weekends.”

“And what is this centre called?” Zelena asks.

“Gold’s, I think, what does it matter?”

“Mother, did you perhaps drink or smoke heavily whilst pregnant with my dull sister?” Zelena directs to Cora as she furiously types on her laptop.

“Have you been day drinking again, Zelena?” Regina retorts.

Cora just sits back and amusedly watches her daughters sniping at each other as per usual.

“A-HA!” Zelena declares before turning her laptop screen to Regina.

Regina looks at the screen, taking in ‘Gold’s Outdoor Pursuits Centre’ website.

“What’s your point, Zelena?” Regina sighs as if regretful to waste her breath.

“Seriously, Mother, not even a few cigarettes or a gulp of brandy when no one was looking?” Zelena asks, totally miffed that Regina hasn’t caught on to her line of thinking. “Am I going to need to get Henry’s crayons to help explain this to you through the medium of diagrams?” She continues, looking directly at Regina.

“Zelena,” she sighs, “If you have a point could you please get to it before I die of old age.”

“You said that you were hoping to meet Emma this weekend but she is working… with adults… doing outdoor pursuits.” She turns the laptop back around to herself.

Regina is ready to pick up her son and leave at this point. She’s getting dizzy from going around in circles with her sister.

“We are adults and I love outdoor pursuits,” the redhead grins.

“Please, you are barely an adult and drinking on a park bench does not count as an outdoor pursuit.” 

“Tom-A-to- tomato,” she shrugs. “Mother, are you able to take Henry this weekend?” 

“Of course, I can always make time for him,” she happily answers.

“Well, there’s no need because as I said, she’s working this weekend so we can’t meet up.” Regina interjects

“Oh, poor simple, Sis,” Zelena defiantly grins as she dramatically holds her right index finger in the air before swooping down and hitting the enter button on her laptop.

“What did you just do, Zelena?” Regina asks, mild panic in her voice.

“Zelena who? The name is Cupid!” She states whilst dramatically spinning the laptop around to Regina.

“Oh no, no, no, please tell me you didn’t!”

The screen shows a confirmation for 3 at Gold’s Outdoor Pursuit Centre for the upcoming weekend.

“Oh yes, yes, yes, I most certainly did!” She laughs manically.

Cora peaks at the screen and takes in the information before laughing quietly and going over to Henry to help him pack up his things because she knows Regina won’t be staying around too much longer.

“I am not going and that’s final!” The brunette crosses her arms over her chest, adamant that she won’t be part of Zelena’s games.

“Ok, that’s fine. Kathryn and I can still go.” She smugly says as she shuts her laptop. 

Regina’s face falls in realisation. Her sister has cornered her, there is no way she can let her and Kathryn go without supervision. They would give Emma nothing but trouble. Emma would probably want nothing to do with her after those two stick their oars in.

“One of these days I am going to have you sectioned you crazy wench!” Regina stomps her foot and walks out of the kitchen to get Henry and take him home.

As she leaves she can hear Zelena cackling madly, which seems to be the theme of her life recently.


	6. Weekend

Weekend.

Later that evening, once Henry had been put to bed, Regina was sitting in her study with a glass of cider, decidedly calmer than when she had left her mothers. She had cursed her sister with every name under the Sun but now she had to admit her anger had turned into excitement. She could actually be seeing Emma in only a couple a days. A dreamy sigh escapes her lips as she thinks about the blonde and all the possibilities that lay ahead. She wasn’t one to get ahead of herself but she hadn’t felt like this in such a long time, and she was liking it.

She was toying with the idea of not telling Emma that they would be joining her that weekend, she wanted to see the blondes genuine reaction in order to get a true reading of how the blonde felt. Even though Emma had been nothing but kind and sweet towards her, she still had some of the old nagging feelings of being duped and played, like Mal had done to her. So on one hand it would be great if Emma was happy that Regina just turned up to see her, but on the other hand, maybe Emma would feel like she was being trapped. Maybe it would be better to speak to the blonde first and explain how her sister had orchestrated the entire thing. She switched on her laptop, deciding to have another look at Gold’s outdoor pursuit website, when all of a sudden it hit her! She had used her laptop before to hold Skype meetings, why not do that with Emma? That way she could let Emma know in advance about going there for the weekend, and she would be able to see the blondes reaction!

She had sent Emma a text just after she had finished work, to let the blonde know that she was going to her mums to pick up Henry and she may not hear from her for a bit. The blonde, as usual, had been accepting and patient. She never demanded any of Regina’s time but was always happy to receive it when offered. She quickly sent Emma a text before she could change her mind, asking if she wouldn’t mind skyping with her in a few minutes if she wasn’t busy. The reply was immediate, and in the affirmative. Emma said she would call her as soon as her laptop was fired up.

Within minutes Regina was hitting the ‘accept’ button flashing on her screen and looking into those bright baby blues for the first time in weeks. She was mentally berating herself for not doing this sooner. 

“Hey beautiful,” sounded through the laptop speakers. 

“Hello dear, how have you been?”

“You mean since we last texted, three hours ago? Not bad,” she teased.

“And here’s me thinking you would have been missing me.” She gave a little pout but it didn’t really work because she was trying to fight back a smile at the same time.

“I have most definitely missed you,” she blushes.

Regina smiles at the charming blonde and they hold eye contact for a few moments, simply drinking each other in. 

“So how’s the little dude? Did your mom fill him full of sugar again?”

She gives a gentle laugh, pleased that Emma remembers what she told her in those first few messages they shared.

“No, not tonight, thankfully. It was a stressful enough day as it was without having to deal with a hyper Henry, but he is well, thank you”

“I’m sorry you had a stressful day, can I do anything to help?”

Regina relaxes into her chair and gives the blonde a cocky grin.

“What would you suggest, Miss Swan?”

“Urm… I’m not really sure..” She trails off, realising there was very little she could do. “I’m happy to listen if you want to talk.”

“You’re very sweet, Emma,” she straightens up in her chair again, looking a bit more serious than a moment ago. “But actually, there was something I wanted to speak to you about.” She could feel anxiety starting to simmer in her stomach, unsure if Emma would be ok with what she was about to tell her.

“Sounds serious.” She gives a nervous laugh, wondering what Regina could need to speak to her about. 

“It’s about us meeting up.”

“Oh,” she replied dejectedly, thinking the worst as life had taught her to do, bowing her head slightly.

Regina couldn’t stand to see her look so hurt. “I really didn’t want to wait any longer to meet again so I’ve signed up to do this outdoor pursuits weekend. Gold’s I think it’s called, have you heard of it?”

Emma’s head shoots up, her face adorned with the biggest smile Regina had yet to see on the woman’s face.

“Are you serious?”

“Quite, so long as it is agreeable with you?”

“Hell-to-the-yes it is!”

“Wonderful. My sister and Kathryn will also be coming. It was Zelena that booked the tickets actually.”

“I guess I owe her my thanks.”

“I glad you are okay with this, I was a little worried about how you would react.”

“Why would you think that I wouldn’t want this?”

“I thought that maybe crashing your place of work may have been a bit much.”

“Crash away. This is awesome!” She beams.

Emma’s happiness is infectious and Regina can’t help but mirror the younger woman’s smile. They continue talking for a while until they decide it was time for them to go to bed. If Emma thought hanging up the phone was hard, this was exponentially more difficult, she couldn’t press the button that would take that beautiful face from her. Regina was the one to finally press it, although rather reluctantly. She shut her laptop down, peaked her head into Henry’s room on the way to hers, completed her nightly routine, and sent Emma a text before getting into bed.

Emma was laying in bed, much too excited to fall asleep when her phone beeped on her bedside table. She didn’t expect it to be from the ‘Goddess’ as her screen quite clearly stated, as they had already said goodnight. Upon opening the message the ache in her cheeks she’d gotten from all the smiling she had done that evening had returned.

“Three more sleeps,”

She thought it was more likely to only be two more sleeps because she was on too much of a high to get any sleep that night. She scrolls through her phone until she finds the picture that Regina had sent her the previous night. Would it be weird to do it again, she questions herself. It certainly did help last night. Images of Regina from the Skype conversation start running through her mind. The way she would touch her neck and throw cocky smirks at Emma when she was purposely teasing her. Then there was that cleavage. She really did try not to look but she was only human. 

“Bloody demon button,” she mumbles. She had never hated an inanimate object before, but that third button down on Regina’s silk blouse had now become her sworn enemy. In a repeat of last night, her hand travels down her body to her boy shorts. Just to help me sleep, she convinces herself.  
XXXXXXXX

Regina had only had to cancel one meeting on Friday afternoon so that she could finish on a half day in order for them to leave early enough get to the orienteering meeting at the outdoors centre. It was only a meeting with Albert Spencer and he had made her late last Tuesday, so she didn’t really care. 

She had been a little sad when she took Henry to school that morning. She was excited that she was going to get to see Emma but she hated that idea of leaving Henry for an entire weekend. The only thing that soothed her was that Henry wasn’t phased by it at all. He was looking forward to spending the weekend with his Grandma, and Regina had promised to bring him back another toy car, just like she had on her previous trip to Boston. She had only bought the ‘Boston’ emblazoned fire truck at a petrol station on the outskirts of the city on their return journey because she had promised to get him a present. She had thought she would have had the morning in Boston to find him something but of course she hadn’t expected to have stayed up all night talking with a complete stranger. The concept of Emma being a stranger was so weird to her now, she felt like she had known her much longer that the three weeks it had been.

She kneeled down in front of him, wrapping her arms around his small torso as he threw his arms around her neck. She gave him a big kiss on his cheek and reminded him that she would pick him up from Grandma’s on Monday morning so they could have breakfast together at the local diner before school. Regina wasn’t keen on the food there but Henry loved the pancakes. She gave him one final kiss before letting him run off to his friends in the yard. She stayed kneeling until he reached his friends and they ran off to play together before school started. 

XXXXXXXX 

Emma didn’t have to work that morning because anyone working the weekend courses didn’t have to be there until late afternoon. She still got up at her usual time to go for her morning run before working on some calisthenics, then showering and making some breakfast. She was swigging on her coffee when a text came through from Regina. She had been patiently waiting for Regina to text her because she knew the brunette was having a hard time with leaving Henry and she hadn’t wanted to interrupt their morning together.

“Good morning, Miss Swan, any big plans for today? ;)”

“Nothing much, just working later on tonight.” She replied, playing along with Regina.

“Working on a Friday night? That sounds dull.”

“Normally it would be, but word on the grapevine is that the world’s most beautiful woman is going to be there tonight.”

“Is that so? Well please do send me a picture of her when you see her, it would be rude not to share.”

“It is definitely so, and I can send you a picture of her now.”

Before Regina has time to type anything back another message comes through, this time it is the picture that she had sent Emma of herself at the beginning of the week. She’s about to reply something snarky when another message comes through.

“And I don’t care if it’s rude but I really don’t want to share her with anyone.”

Emma knew she was taking a gamble with that last message. She had no claim to Regina but she felt more secure than she had in any relationship she’d had in the past, not that this was a relationship, not yet anyway.

Regina was sat in her office chair completely stunned, over the moon excited, but stunned.

“Somehow, I have a feeling that she wouldn’t mind.”

“God, I can’t wait to see you,” was Emma’s simple reply.

“Me too, but if that is going to happen then I should probably get back to work so I can leave on time.”

“I begrudgingly accept :p Will you let know when you are leaving?”

“Of course, dear. See you soon xxx”

XXXXXXXX

It has just turned noon and Regina was storing all her completed work files away in cabinets when a loud car horn started blasting. She was 99.9% sure she knew who was to blame and she was proved right when she peered out of a window to see Zelena behind the steering wheel.   
“Bloody heathen,” Regina mumbles to herself before grabbing her coat and her trolley suitcase that she had packed the previous night, before closing up her office and dismissing her secretary for the weekend.

On approaching the car she can hear ‘love shack’ blasting from the stereo as Zelena dances in her seat and Kathryn shakes her head in disbelief whilst laughing. She throws her suitcase in the boot before slamming it down hard, trying to alleviate some of her frustration at her sister before getting in the back and demanding that the infernal racket be switched off. Zelena shuts it off but then turns to face Regina.

“Just trying to get you in the mood for your weekend with Emma. It can be our weekend anthem!”

“It is not MY weekend with Emma. Plenty of other people are going to be there, including you. That’s a bucket of cold water if there ever was one!”

“Alright. Calm your tits. In fact, I have something that may help.” She begins digging around in her jacket pocket before pulling out what looks to be a small white tablet.

“Drugs?! Are you insane?” Regina shouts.

“That is the opposite of calm by the way. And relax it’s just a tic tac, but if you are going to shout at me I would appreciate a minty shout.”

“A minty shout? Oh my god Zelena, I think you might just be beyond help,” Kathryn laughs. “And why do you have single tic tacs rolling around in your pockets?”

“I have McGyver pockets, you never know when something might come in handy,” she says as she pulls out a hair bobble, tampon and paperclip from her other pocket.

Regina puts her head in her hands and tells Zelena to drive. She does not want to be stuck in this car with her sister for any longer than she has to.  
The redhead puts the car into drive as they begin their journey, her famous cackle reverberating through the car. Regina is sure it won’t be the last time she hears it this weekend. She pulls out her phone to send Emma a text as promised.

“Just left. Please don’t hold me responsible for anything my sister may say or do this weekend.”

“I won’t, as long as you promise the same for anything Ruby may do. I can’t wait to see you Mayor Mills.”

XXXXXXXX

The butterflies in Regina’s stomach were multiplying as the distance on the Sat Nav was decreasing. Only a few more miles and they would be at the camp, she could hardly contain herself, not that she would let it show in front of anyone.

Those few miles away Emma was pacing backwards and forwards in Granny’s kitchen, too nervous to be out in the parking lot, greeting the guests as she should be.

“Girl, either sit down or go out there, I feel tired just looking at you.”

“Sorry, Granny. It’s just… what if she’s changed her mind? What if she doesn’t like me like this?” She looks down at her uniform, camouflage pants and matching top. She’s never minded the uniform before, but now she’s second guessing everything because of her nerves.

Granny places her hands on Emma’s shoulders to hold her still as she speaks to her. “You know that your uniform isn’t the issue here and you know she hasn’t changed her mind because she text you less than an hour ago to say they were approaching Boston. Now take a few deep breaths and go greet your girl. I shouldn’t imagine she will be too happy if she turns up here and you are nowhere to be found.”

“Shit. You’re right.”

She quickly turns to leave but Granny calls her back and points at the high visibility jacket that Emma had earlier chucked over a chair. “You can’t work the car park without it. All that health and safety nonsense.”

“Thanks, Granny.”

She throws the jacket on and heads out to the car park, hoping that they haven’t arrived yet. She approaches Ruby who can confirm that she definitely has not yet seen Regina.

Graham calls Emma over to help direct a few of the cars that are on his side of the car park. Her nerves seem to settle as she gets on with her job. The guests start clearing out as they follow Ruby and Graham into the main building. “Emma, there a two more parties yet to arrive. Wait here for them and then send them in once they’ve parked up,” Graham hollers at her. The next car arrives not thirty seconds later. She directs them to a parking space and gives them a few simple instructions that will lead them to the main building.

XXXXXXXX

“Bloody hell, Zelena, how can you take a wrong turn when you have a Sat Nav right in front of you?”

“Scenic route,” she replies.

“The last two miles have been nothing but trees. The entire place is a scenic route!”

The wrong turning had only taken them off course by a few minutes but Regina was on edge and snappier than usual. When the Sat Nav showed that they were once again on the correct road and it was only a mile left to go, Kathryn turned to Regina and gave her friend a reassuring smile.

As they approached the gates to the centre Zelena began to sing. “Regina and Emma sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Emma with a baby carriage.”

“Don’t think I’m above smothering you with a pillow in your sleep, Zelena,” says a mentally tortured Regina. Six hours in a car with her sister was exhausting.

“Untwist your knickers will you. Ooh look, there’s someone who will do that for you.”

Both passengers follow Zelena’s line of sight to see Emma standing at the opening of the car park.

“Please behave, Zelena,” Regina quickly pleads.

Just as she finishes her sentence they roll to a stop in front of Emma, and Zelena rolls down her window. “Really, blondie? Camo pants and a high vis jacket? Make up your mind, do you want to be seen or not?” She laughs at her own joke, Kathryn tries not to laugh but she can’t help it. It doesn’t really matter though because both Emma and Regina are unaffected by the comment, they are both just smiling at each other.

“Eugh, my talents are wasted here,” she huffs before driving into the nearest parking spot.

Emma follows the car, wanting to greet Regina properly, and the other guests of course. She jogs a little just so she can open up Regina’s door and offer the brunette her hand once the car has stopped. 

“Hi,” Emma coyly says as Regina takes her hand and makes her way out of the car.

“Hello, Emma.”

Zelena and Kathryn have made their way to the boot to grab their cases and the redhead is about to say something but Kathryn shushes her, before pulling her away.

“But my suitcase,” the redhead whines.

“We can get them later, just give them a minute.”

They are standing inches apart, Regina’s hand still held in Emma’s, neither willing to break the contact.

“It’s good to see you, Mayor Mills,” she says with a cheeky grin.

“And you, Miss Swan.”  
XXXXXXXX


	7. Premium package

Premium package.

Emma leans in a little closer to Regina and gently presses her lips to the shorter woman’s olive cheek. The brunette closes her eyes and ad enjoys the feel of Emma against her. She doesn’t want to remove her lips from Regina but she does so she can whisper in her ear, “I would love to kiss you properly but my boss is around somewhere and it appears we have a bit of an audience.” Regina looks up at Emma and turns slightly, following the blondes eyes, to see her friend smiling gleefully as she accepts a note from Zelena.

“I’m twenty dollars down because of you two,” she huffs as she makes her way to the boot of the car.

“You bet on us?” Regina asks as she takes a step from Emma but still allowing the blonde to hold her hand.

“Yeah, I thought you two would be like dogs in heat as soon as you laid eyes on each other.”

Kathryn sniggers and the other blonde blushes profusely.

“Remember what I told you about the pillow, dear sister,” the brunette warns with fake sweetness in her voice.

Zelena sees the confusion across Emma’s face so jumps in with, “oh yes, Regina here, is a bit of a pillow princess, blondie. You can handle that, right?”

Emma doesn’t know what to say or where to look so she decided to grab Regina’s case from the car as the other two have already taken theirs out.

“The orienteering meeting has just started so if you’ll follow me, please.” She completely ignores what Zelena said.

Regina gives her a weak smile then dutifully follows behind.

“You’re taking her suitcase for her? What about ours? That’s favouritism,” the redhead says with mock annoyance.

Emma turns her head to her, “Yeah, I guess it is,” before winking at Regina and continuing into the building.

Zelena smiles at Kathryn, receiving one in return. It seems blondie can handle herself just fine.

They quietly make their way into the main room, where Graham is going over a few safety procedures. The three women take their seats and Emma heads to the front of the room to join her colleagues. She removes her high visibility jacket and places it over the back of her seat before sitting down. Regina forgets to breathe for a second, she knew the blonde kept herself in good shape but she had no idea just how much. She could see the blondes traps quite clearly and her biceps were being constricted by her tight fitting top. The dress shirt that Emma had worn on the first night they met was nowhere near this tight, and had obviously done a good job of concealing her body beneath it. The hoody she had worn during their Skype chat had given nothing away either. Regina felt herself flush, even more so when she felt her sisters eyes burning holes into the side of her head. She was trying but failing miserably to not give anything away, but it was hard because she knew the redhead would have a demented smile plastered all over her face. After greedily taking in the blondes body her eyes roamed up to meet Emma’s, who had obviously caught the brunette staring. She was used to women throwing themselves at her on these courses and it always made her uncomfortable but she was enjoying the attention of the brunette. She gave a coy smile and then turned to look at Graham as he finished up going through the safety procedures. 

Graham then began introducing all the staff that would be looking after them that weekend. He started with Ruby, Merida, then Philip, and finally Emma. As soon as he said her name a big whoop, and clapping started from the back row. Everyone in the room turned to see Zelena causing the ruckus with a huge smile on her face. Regina quickly put her head down, hoping that no one would associate the two of them. 

Unphased by everyone staring, the redhead shouted, “huge fan of her work,” before telling Graham to continue. He cleared his throat then gave a brief description of what Emma would be doing that weekend, as he had done with all his other colleagues. 

Once everyone had been assigned to their cabins and given an information pack, he told them to go freshen up and to return in an hour for some food and drink. 

XXXXXXXX

When Kathryn opens the door to their cabin they are all very pleased to see it decorated in a rustic style but with modern facilities. Emma had already put Regina’s mind to ease about their lodgings when she had begun to worry about bunkbeds and communal showers during their Skype chat. Emma had laughed it off and told her it wasn’t a summer camp for kids. 

The Mayor is the first one into the bathroom with a change of clothes, something more ‘forest’ appropriate she had told the girls. A few minutes later she comes out in jeans, a snug black t-shirt, and a plaid shirt over it. It wasn’t something she usually wore outside of her home but Emma had assured her that ‘casual’ was the way to go for the weekend.

“I see you will be going full on lezza this weekend,” Zelena teases. 

“Emma told me what to pack, this is entirely appropriate, which is more than what I can say for your footwear.” They all look down at the redheads three inch heels.

“Some of us just can’t switch off our style,” she replies as she dramatically throws her hair over her shoulder.

Regina can’t help but smile, as big of a pain in the arse as her sister is, she knows she wouldn’t be here without her meddling. Once they have all unpacked and claimed their beds they make their way over to the main building.

The brunette immediately zones in on Emma, still in her uniform, talking to an older couple. They make their way over to the bar, or at least what passes as a bar. Zelena was disappointed that they didn’t serve cocktails, but continued to ask the barman if he was sure he couldn’t provide her with a ‘screaming orgasm’. Regina quickly ordered three glasses of wine before her sister could say anything else. There was a buffet set up against the far wall and people were milling about, chatting and getting to know each other. Once they had their drinks in hand they decided to go find a table and get something to eat.

As Regina was about to pull out her chosen seat she was beaten to it by a smiling Emma just behind her.

“Hi,” the blonde beamed.

“Hello, dear. Is this a service you provide to all the guests?” She quips before taking the offered seat.

“Nah, this is the premium package, exclusively for Goddess’ only.”

Zelena declares that she and Kathryn are going to grab some food before they catch diabetes.

The two women laugh a little and Emma pulls out a seat for herself. “So are the cabins up to your standards?”

“Not a bunkbed in sight so it shall suffice.”

“I’m glad to hear it, it wouldn’t do to have you fleeing already.”

“Not a chance.” She bites her bottom lip and Emma’s not sure she’s going to be as professional as she should be this weekend. She wants nothing more than to close the distance between them and pull that bottom lip from between Regina’s teeth, with her own lips. They are both pulled from their less than pure thoughts by the brunettes stomach very rudely imitating a dying whale. 

“Sorry,” she blushes.

“It’s my fault, I should leave you to get some food. Besides, I have to mingle with everyone,” she frowns at the thought of leaving Regina. “Oh, and try the lasagne, it’s delicious,” she says before getting up to leave.

The evening passes with stolen glances and shared smiles between the women and after a couple of hours, most people have made their way to their cabins for the night. Emma volunteers to tidy up, her sole purpose being to hang back with Regina. Ruby gives her a knowing smile but neither she nor the other instructors argue, all of them happy to be able to call it a night. When they’ve all left she takes her phone out of her pocket, sends Regina a text, then starts cleaning up the place. 

Across the room, the woman of her affections feels her phone vibrate in her jeans.

“I’m just about to ask everyone to leave, would you like to hang back with me for a bit?”

“Is this all part of the premium package?” She looks over at Emma once she has sent it.

Emma simply winks at her, the implication obvious, and continues cleaning up.

Regina gets her sister and Kathryn to leave, after they have drunkenly teased her for a bit. In the meantime, Emma has managed to get the last few people to drink up and head towards the exit. 

When it is just the two of them left she walks over to Regina, smiling all the while. “Have you had a good night?”

“Apart from you lying to me, it’s been ok,” she keeps a serious face before continuing, “that lasagne was not at all delicious.”

She can’t help but chuckle, “damn, I had a mini heart attack then! And I will have you know, that is the best lasagne I have ever eaten,” she moves a little closer.

“I think it must be the only lasagne you’ve ever eaten if you think it’s good,” Regina teases as she closes the last bit of distance between them, running her hands up those biceps she’s been dying to touch all night before wrapping her arms loosely around the blondes neck. She can feel the blonde stiffen up in her arms. “Relax, it’s just us.” She looks around to make her point, “you did say earlier that you wanted to kiss me properly, if we didn’t have an audience. Well, I don’t see anyone around, do you?”

She feels Emma finally put her strong hands on her, holding Regina close to her own body, by her hips. Their foreheads meet, eyes boring into each other. “It’s been hard to notice anyone else but you in this room all night,” she whispers against those lips that she’s fantasised about in the privacy of her bedroom. She nuzzles her nose into the brunettes, gently trying to convey the intimacy she feels for this beautiful woman in her arms. Regina’s breath hitches and her eyes close, lips slightly apart. That’s the last thing Emma sees before closing her own eyes and brushing her lips slowly against the plumper ones. It’s slow and tentative, just feeling each other, happy to finally be back together. Regina is the first to show her lack of patience and firmly but slowly swipes her tongue against the blondes bottom lip, silently pleading for me.

This is all the permission she needs to deepen the kiss. Her hands move to tenderly cup the brunettes face, causing a happy sigh to escape those crimson painted lips. Their tongues in a rhythmic dance of affection and longing, relaying more than any words ever could.

They both begin to slow the kiss down as their need for oxygen increases. Emma slowly pulls away with a gentle suck on the brunettes bottom lip. They don’t break the distance between them, they are still clinging onto one another. She hums against an olive cheek as her arms wrap around the petite torso, holding her against her own.

“I must say, I’m beginning to see the benefits of this premium package.”

Emma laughs out loud, pulling back to look into brown eyes and asks, “that’s the first thing you say after we kiss?”

“You’re lucky I managed to string a full sentence together, Miss Swan. You are quite the kisser.”

She blushes and moves to bury her face into a tanned neck, laying small kisses on the available skin. “You’re not too bad yourself,” she murmurs between kisses.

Regina musters up all the strength she can to pull away from the blonde, offering her a smile. “We really should stop before I end up with a hickey.”

“Would that really be so bad?” She says with a pout.

“You’ve met my sister, how do you think the rest of the weekend would transpire if I returned the cabin with a love bite?” She said with a raised eyebrow.

“Good point. I’m pretty sure we would be tormented to within an inch of our lives.”

“At the very least! Now, how about I help you clean up this place and you can walk me back to my cabin?”

“Sounds like a plan,” she agrees, before leaning in for a more reserved kiss. 

Once they have tidied up they walk out into the chilly spring air. Regina immediately shivers and before she can even rub her hands over her arms she feels Emma draping her thin but windproof, work jacket over her shoulders.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

They walk next to each other in giddy silence until they are outside Regina’s cabin. She takes off the jacket and hands it back to Emma.

“If you need anything, I’m just in that cabin over there,” she points to the first in a line of eight cabins. 

“Anything, hmm?” She says with a glint in her eye as she runs her hand over Emma’s firm stomach. She can feel definition between each muscle hidden beneath the blondes top, and she’s not too proud to admit that it does something to her.

“I’m sharing with Ruby, so maybe not anything,” she shyly smiles. 

A noise from the cabin pulls them out of their little world. They look over to see Zelena’s nose pressed firmly against the window, giving her ‘piggy’ features. They both laugh at the woman being pulled away by Kathryn. They decided that it really was time to say goodnight. Emma watches the brunette make her way inside before turning to leave for her own cabin, unable to wipe the smile off her face.

XXXXXXXX

Regina made her way to the bedroom to find the other two women sitting on her bed with huge, devious, smiles on their faces.

She sighs and sits down onto one of the free beds, “what do you want to know?” The brunette is aware that she won’t be given any peace to sleep until their curiosity is sated.

“Everything!” They demand in unison.

“We kissed,” she admits with a blush and a smile.

“Judging by the look on your face, it was good?” Kathryn asks.

“It was incredible,” she says with a dreamy sigh before letting her body fall back against the bed.

Kathryn and Zelena look at each other, completely shocked that the hard ass Mayor is sighing like a teenager who has just had her first kiss ever.

“She has this gentle power about her. She could have easily taken what she wanted from the kiss but it felt more like she was trying to give herself to me through it. Does that sound stupid?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

Zelena and Kathryn say at the same time.

“It’s about time you had this in your life Regina,” Kathryn says sweetly.

Zelena goes to lay next to her sister and they both turn their heads to look at each other. “I’m really happy for you, Sis, but get the hell off my bed. These sheets aren’t wipe clean, and I don’t want you leaving a snail trail everywhere.”

Regina snorts in amusement and moves to go to the bathroom to start her nightly routine.

“I think operation ‘wet crotch’ is going to go down in history as a stroke of genius,” the redhead states confidently.

XXXXXXXX

“So, how was it? What happened? How far did you go?”

“Holy shit, Ruby. Let me get in the door before we play a hundred questions, will ya?”

“I have been waiting patiently for aaaaages, now spill!”

“It was only about half an hour.”

“A lot can happen in half an hour, trust me. There was this one time I went into town on my lunch break, and met this gorgeous woman in a café, anyway, long story short, four orgasms later I was driving back to work without the dress I had gone into town to pick up.”

“Fascinating story. Really. She should tell that at parties,” the blonde deadpans.

“Ha-ha assface. Now spill.”

“We may have kissed,” she shares, unable to keep her smile at bay.

“Yay! Ems, this is awesome. Can I be your bridesmaid?”

“Just a little bit too early for that, don’t you think, Rubes?”

“You mark my words, I’m always right about these things. I knew that Neal and Tamara were hooking up before they even told anyone.”

“That’s because you are a nosey cow.”

“I prefer to call it intuition.”

Emma laughs at her deluded friend. “She’s not like any woman I have ever met before her. It’s early days, and I don’t want to jinx anything, but this feels special.”

Ruby barrels into Emma, throwing her arms around her. “I also want to be Godmother to all the Swan-Mills babies you are going to have.”

“Shut up, Rubes,” she laughs and untangles herself from the brunettes long limbs.

Emma gets changed into her sleepwear and sends a text to the woman that causes her stomach to knot, and her palms to sweat every time she sees her.

“I hope Zelena didn’t give you too much trouble.”

“Nothing I couldn’t handle. Goodnight, Miss Swan xxx.”

“Goodnight, Mayor Mills.”


	8. Toast

Toast.

 

Ruby was just getting up when Emma arrives back from her morning jog around the lake.

“Good morning,” the blonde chirps.

“Eugh. Do you have to be so cheerful this early?”

“What’s there to not be cheerful about? The sun is shining and it’s a brand new day, full of possibilities.” She picks up the brunette and jovially and spins her around.

“Eww. Put me down, you are sweaty and gross.” Once her feet are safely back on terra firma, she watches as Emma starts to gather her uniform together. She has never seen her friend look so relaxed and happy. The blonde has had a constant smile on her face for weeks, that not even bad sessions at work have been able to wipe off. She’s even whistling, badly, but still. “So this is what you’re like after a kiss, I dread to think what you’ll be like after a bit of the old horizonal mambo,” she wiggles her eyebrows when the blonde turns to look at her. “I’m half expecting you to start vomiting rainbows and butterflies.” She begins to dig around a cupboard to get her uniform together as Emma makes her way to the bathroom.

The blonde pulls off her running vest as she approaches the bathroom door, turning around she calls to her friend, “Rubes?”

The brunette turns to look at her, “ye?”

She chucks her sweaty vest at her friends head and quickly locks the bathroom door behind her, laughing as she does so.

“Ewwwwwwww,” she hears from her disgusted friend. A gentle thud cant be heard against the door, her vest, she’s guessing. “I don’t like you when you are in love,” she yells at the sweaty woman through the door.

Emma just shakes her head, laughing, not acknowledging her friends statement. She strips down and steps into the shower, letting the warm water cascade down her muscled form. Her mind drifts to the incredible kiss she shared with Regina. It’s all she’s been able to think about since it happened. Regina had felt so perfect in her arms, as if that was their intended person in life, to hold the beautiful woman against her. She hurries through the shower, excited that she would be seeing Regina again. 

XXXXXXXX 

The alarm blares throughout the cabin, waking all three women up. Regina reaches over to turn it off, amidst grumbling from her roommates. 

“What times is it,” Kathryn asks, her voice husky with sleep.

“Seven,” the brunette replies.

“What? In the morning? I always though it was a myth that there was two in a day,” Zelena jokes. She usually wasn’t a morning person but even she was quite excited for the day ahead. She had almost given up hope of her sister ever finding anyone. Emma had been a total revelation.

They all started getting ready for the day, Zelena even changing from her heels after a bit of persuading. Once they were all dressed and ready, they made their way over to the canteen for some breakfast before a day of activities. 

As the queued, the brunettes eyes were searching for the blonde, who she found to be sitting on the far side on the room, with her colleagues. Emma was oblivious to Regina’s presence in the room, too busy listening to one of her colleagues talking, Merida, she thinks the woman is called, remembering her from the introduction the night before. She feels a little sad that Emma is unaware that she’s there. She wants to go talk to the blonde but she knows that have to be careful. Emma had told her that her colleagues knew about Regina, and that she would be there that weekend. Mr Gold was of course not to be informed of this as there was a strict policy about fraternising with the guests. Ruby had been the only one to break this rule up until last night, but Gold had never known. He lived on site so they had to be subtle. 

Regina poured herself a coffee then began helping herself to the food on the self service hot plates. She had ladled some scrambled egg onto her plate, and was reaching over for some toast, only to have the piece she was reaching for snatched away from her. She straightens up, ready to tear someone a new one. She sees two mirthful blue eyes staring back at her from the opposite side of the counter.

“I’m sorry, were you going to take this piece of toast?” Emma teases. 

The anger she had felt a moment ago had dissipated as soon as she set eyes on the blonde.

“No, dear. I was actually going for the one behind it,” she reaches over again to take the other slice of toast.

Emma quickly beats her to it and snatches that one up to. “You know, you’re right. This one looks even tastier,” she smirks. She moves around the counter to stand next to the amused brunette. “I tell you what, I’ll make you a deal,” the blonde offers.

“Excuse me,” a man behind them says, sounding a bit annoyed. They hadn’t realised that they were holding people up.

“Sorry,” Emma mumbles to the guests as she takes Regina’s elbow and gently guides her to take a step back.

“How very unprofessional of you,” Regina smirks.

“I told you last night, it’s hard to notice anyone else in a room when you’re here,” the brunette can’t help but smile at that. “Anyway, don’t you want to hear about the deal I’m offering for this delicious toast?” She asks as she nods her head to the two slices of pilfered toasts on her plate. Regina just points her middle finger to the pile of toast still available on the hot counter.

“No, you don’t want that toast. This toast is where it’s at,” she chuckles.

“In the interest of having my breakfast before it is stone cold, I will play along. What’s the deal?”

“I’m glad you asked! In exchange for this exquisite, golden brown deliciousness.”

“I’m going to have to stop you there, Miss Swan,” she interrupts, “the last time you told me something was delicious I ended up disappointed.”

“I can’t help it that you don’t have a sophisticated enough palate for cafeteria food,” she teases. “So here’s the deal, this DELICIOUS toast,” she emphasises, “in exchange for a date,” she says the last word quietly, aware that there are other people nearby.

“A date? When? How?”

“Tonight, when everyone will be at the campfire party. Ruby and Graham are going to cover for me. I’ll make you dinner at my cabin.”

Regina smiles at her and takes the plate of toast from her hands, “deal,” she huskily agrees, before turning to make her away to Zelena and Kathryn.

“What was all that about?” Her sister practically demands before she’s even sat down in her chair. “Why was she holding your food hostage?” The two of them had watched the whole thing from where they were sitting.

“Don’t worry, she released them in exchange for a date.” The brunette is smiling so wide when she tells them.

“Yay! Regina, that’s great,” Kathryn congratulates her friend.

She had never actually had a date in her entire life. She and Mal had just kind of fallen into a relationship and she had never been with anyone else.

“Wait a minute, “ Zelena interjects. “Did you just prostitute yourself for two pieces of bread?” She starts laughing uncontrollably, “you could have at least held out for a piece of bacon!”

Kathryn joins in with the laughter until they are both wiping at the tears in their eyes, even Regina is smiling along.

“It was sweet,” she explains. “She’s going to make me dinner in her cabin tonight.”

“I feel like there should be some sort of ceremony for your deflowering, this is a special occasion,” the redhead declares.

“Firstly, we won’t be doing that. We do have self-control. Secondly, I’m not virgin so that would be impossible anyway.   
“Regina, Regina, Regina,” Zelena sighs as she puts an arm over her shoulder, “When you haven’t had any in as long as you haven’t, I’m pretty sure it grows back.”

The blonde actually snorts at this and Regina shrugs his sister’s arm off her shoulder, not even bothering to dignify that with a response. That cause Zelena to cackle and nearly everyone in the cafeteria to turn and look at her for the second time in twelve hours.

XXXXXXXX

The morning drags by for Regina, they had been on a hike into the surrounding forest, let by Merida, but all she could think of was seeing Emma at lunch. She was hoping that they could sneak off somewhere together for a little bit.

When lunch time does come around she makes a beeline for the cafeteria, her eyes roving over the room in search of Emma but without success, the blonde was nowhere to be found. Slightly disheartened she gets some food and the three of them go to find a table. Every time the door opens she immediately looks over in hope of seeing the beautiful blonde, and each time she is disappointed.

The afternoon session was bushcraft with Graham. She was finding it hard to concentrate as her mind kept wondering back to blonde and the fact that she hadn’t been to the cafeteria for lunch. She had been hoping that Emma would have wanted to spend some of her lunch break together. The old feelings of inadequacy started clawing at her mind, maybe she was more invested in this than the blonde was. She quickly shook those feelings away, apart from their hair colour, Emma was nothing like Mal, and besides, Emma asked her for the date. The blonde obviously wanted to spend time with her, something must have come up that the blonde couldn’t get out of she decided.

Graham finishes his demonstration of how to construct a fire and dismisses the group to go and gather kindling and twigs so they could build their own. After many unsuccessful attempts at trying to make a fire, then at building an emergency shelter from branches and leaves, the afternoon was over and they trudged back to their cabin. 

“What’s wrong with you? You’ve been quiet all afternoon,” her friend queries.

“Nothing,” she lies, “just not used to this much fresh air,” she finishes with a forced smile.

Kathryn heads for a shower and Zelena decides that she needs a good stiff drink after the hard day she’s had, so she heads to the bar.

Regina grabs her phone from her bag and goes to lay on her bed. She wants to text Emma, just to make sure she is okay. It wasn’t like her to skip a meal, she had learnt that pretty soon after they’d met, she loved her food.

She can see she has an unread message and is elated to see it is from Emma. 

“Hey beautiful, are we still on for tonight?”

She quickly types back, “yes, if the offer is still there.”

“Of course, I’ve been looking forward to seeing you all day.”

It feels like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders. Emma’s okay and she still wants to have the date. She berates herself for being so silly and worrying all afternoon.

“You have?”

“You have no idea! It was hard to teach my sessions. I’ve been so distracted.”

“I’m glad you’re looking forward to it as much as I am. I’m going to get ready now. I’ll be over as soon as the campfire party starts.”

“Can’t wait! :D”

XXXXXXXX 

 

Almost two hours later and Regina was knocking on the door of the cabin that Emma had pointed out to her the previous evening. She only has to wait a few seconds before the door is opened wide, and a smiling Emma is pulling her inside. 

“I’ve missed you,” she greets, as she closes the door and leans down to kiss Regina’s cheek.

Regina pulls on the bottom of Emma’s shirt to bring her in for a chaste kiss, “I’ve missed you too,” she breaths against the taller woman’s lips. 

“You look absolutely beaut, I mean you ARE absolutely beautiful,” she corrects herself in the middle of her sentence, she leans in, kissing Regina’s smiling lips. “Can I get you a drink?” She asks, breaking the trance between them.

“Wine would be great.”

For the first time since stepping into the cabin the brunette notices a picnic blanket spread out on the floor in front of the fire place. There are pillows and cushions at the other side and a coffee table laden with finger foods.

Emma walks back from the kitchen with a glass of wine for her date and a beer for herself. She looks at Regina, who is stood stock still, taking in the environment Emma has created in the small living room.

The blonde had been unsure about her plan since the moment she asked Regina on the date. She was sure that a woman like Regina was used to being wined and dined but she really wanted to have a date with her and this was the best she could do, seen as she was working and wasn’t allowed to leave the premises without special permission from Gold. She passes Regina her wine then nervously grabs at the back of her own neck, “Yeah, urm, I thought we could have an indoor picnic. I can’t really cook and we are stuck on site so I didn’t really know what to do. I’m sorry it’s so lame,” she rambles on. 

“It’s perfect, Emma,” the brunette said so sincerely that Emma has no choice but to believe her.

“I was worried that you would think it was silly.”

“No, I love it. Really I do.”

“Thank God,” she says with a puff of breath, letting go of all the anxiety she’s been having all day over it. “Oh, and I got you these.” She picks up a bouquet of wildflowers off a side cupboard and offers them to Regina.

They are all mismatched flowers but in a wonderful array of colours, held together by a simple knot of twine around the stems. “They are beautiful, Em.” She had never heard Regina shorten her name before and she absolutely love it.

“I would have preferred to buy you a proper bouquet, but like I said, I can’t leave the premises.”

It hadn’t really dawned on Regina that these weren’t shop bought flowers. It was obvious really, but she wasn’t thinking about anything but how beautiful they are.

“How did you get them?” She asked, not taking her eyes off the incredibly sweet gift. If Emma hadn’t bought them and she definitely hadn’t seen any around the place, where could they have come from? It was all forest around them, just trees and bushes.

“There’s a beautiful meadow a few miles away, just on the outskirts of the forest. So I went for a little walk on my lunch break to get them. Technically it’s still on the premises as Mr Gold owns the land so I didn’t break any rules,” she states, as if that was the important part of what she had done.

“You went on your lunch break to get them? But you never miss a meal.”

Emma laughs whole heartedly before answering, “well, some things are just more important than lunch. Besides, I had a protein bar,” she finishes with a cheeky wink.

Regina’s face is completely passive as she stares at the flowers then at the indoor picnic at her feet.

Emma’s not quite sure what’s going through the brunettes mind but it starts to worry her when Regina continues to stand there in silence. She takes the wine from her hand and puts in down with her beer on the coffee table.

“Hey, come here,” she says as she puts her hands on the brunettes hips. “Are you okay? You sort of look upset.”

That snaps her out of it. “No, I’m not at all upset. I just… I guess I’m just overwhelmed.”

“Overwhelmed by a few sandwiches and some badly put together flowers?” She tries to joke to lighten the mood.

“No, by what it means,” she looks at Emma for the first time since the blonde gave her the flowers. “No one has ever gone to this much trouble for me. My ex would take me to fancy restaurants and buy me gifts and flowers but only ever as an apology for her shitty behaviour. No one has ever done anything like this for me just because they wanted to.” She feels like she’s on the edge of crying. She really isn’t upset, it’s all just a bit too much.

Emma wraps her arms around her and pulls her close, she feels the smaller woman burying her face between her chest and shoulder. “Well, it’s definitely overdue then. You, Mayor Mills, deserve a whole lot more than this, and if you will let me, I want to be the one to do these things for you. I want to take you on dates, real dates, and I want to make to make you see what I feel for you and how wonderful you are.

“What do you feel for me?” She mumbles against the blondes chest, relaxing somewhat at Emma’s sweet words.

“More than I’ve ever felt for anyone, that’s for sure. It scares me because we haven’t known each other very long but at the same time it feels like I’ve known you forever. I just know that it feels right, and I’m happy when I’m with you. I meant what I said before, I don’t want to share you. I want to give this a go between us. Not just chatting each night and maybe trying to meet up when we can fit it in, but a real go.”

“I’d like that too,” she whispers into her chest.

“I can’t say I blame you. I am awesome,” the blonde says it to ease the tension. It works because Regina starts laughing.

“That’s better,” she says as she lifts the brunettes chin to look into her eyes, “I love your smile.” Her hand slips to the back of her neck and the other one around her waist. Their lips are drawn together and Emma leads the way, the chaste kiss becomes a nibble, then a lick, which quickly turns into the Mayor’s tongue being tentatively sucked into the blondes mouth. Emma is teasing and playful, wanting to keep things light for the seemingly delicate woman’s sake. She finally pulls back with a suck on a plump lip before pressing her forehead to Regina’s. “Totally worth two slices of toast,” she jokes.

“Idiot,” the brunette says through a smile.

“Come on, let’s eat. I’m absolutely starving.” Taking Regina’s hand she guides her over to the blanket and helps her onto the mass of cushions before sitting down next to her.

“I’m surprised your body didn’t shut down hours ago to protest the loss of a meal,” she teases.

“It was touch and go for a while but I pulled through.”

She gets the fire going and they both start eating the food she had prepared, well in Emma’s case, more like devoured. Regina was pleased that the blonde was more comfortable and confident compared to the night they met when she got shy about wanting waffles at two in the morning. When they had had their fill, Emma got up to get them both another drink. They continued talking for a while, Emma learnt all about Mal, and lots about Henry. As the night wore on they ended up laying down on the blanket, stretched out in front of the crackling fire. Regina was laying on her side, her head cradled into Emma’s shoulder and her arm draped over her firm torso. Emma was on her back, one arm behind her head and the other wrapped around Regina’s body.

Regina could feel the defined muscles of the blondes stomach under her shirt as her hand began roaming.

“Emma?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you have a six pack?”

She laughs hard. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I imagine it when I’m in bed at night,” she husks deeply. She hasn’t been that forward in all the time they have spoken, but it’s been so long since she’s been with a woman and Emma is just so damn sexy.

The blonde was not expecting that, and she’s stunned into silence for a second. It’s been a while for her too, but she quickly gathers herself.

“Why don’t you find out,” she challenges with more confidence than she’s feeling.

Regina sits up and straddles the blondes hips, causing her blue eyes to darken. 

“Ok,” she states nonchalantly, and begins to slowly undo the buttons on Emma’s shirt all the while maintaining eye contact. She is absolutely loving the effect she’s having on the woman beneath her and it spurs her on. Once she’s undone all the buttons she pushes both sides of the material aside then slowly pulls up the tight white vest in front of her to reveal a rather prominent six pack. She runs her hand over the muscles and decides she needs more, she bends over and begins placing kisses over the taut muscles, just like she had imagined doing dozens of times when she was in bed at night.

“Fuck,” she hears being whimpered.

She smiles against the skin beneath her mouth before dragging her tongue down the centre to the top of the tight skinny jeans where she paces another kiss.

“Oh my God, Regina!”

Emma is gripping onto the blanket beneath her, unable to form a coherent thought. Just needing to feel Regina’s hot mouth on her. She’s aware of the sensation ending and as she opens her eyes to see Regina moving up her body, before she brings her mouth down to hers. There is no teasing, this pure unadulterated need. Emma grabs onto her hips and holds her more firmly against her own body. She sits up halfway, her core strength holding her there as they passionately make out. She becomes aware of Regina’s hips canting ever so slightly as she moans into her mouth.

They are torn from their passionate embrace by the blaring of Emma’s phone.

“Shit,” she grumbles as Regina sits back, trying to catch her breath. “Ruby said she would call when she’s about to come back.” She reaches over to the coffee table to pick up her phone.

“Hi, yeah that’s fine. See you in a bit.”

“Sorry, she offers weakly to Goddess on her lap.

“That’s quite alright. I’m glad she called instead of just walking in and catching us.”

“I’d never hear the end of it,” the blonde bemoans. 

Regina manages to stand up, though she’s not quite sure how, given how weak her legs feel.

Emma pushes herself up and buttons up her shirt. She pulls Regina into a hug and sighs happily into her soft hair. “Let’s get you back to your cabin.”

“Mm hmm,” is the affirmative reply.

They break apart when they hear a knock at the door.

“You can come in, Ruby,” Emma shouts, knowing it’s her roommate.

The door opens and Ruby walks in with a hand covering her eyes. “Are you sure? Is it safe?”

“I assure you Miss Lucas, it is quite safe,” Regina chuckles at her theatrics.

“Damn Emma, you are right. That whole surname thing is hot!” 

“Shut up, Rubes!” Emma blushes furiously as Regina smirks at her.

Regina picks up her flowers and says goodnight to Ruby. Emma grabs a jacket off one of the coat pegs and offers it to Regina.

“It’s only a two minute walk, Miss Swan.” She teases, using her surname, to Ruby’s delight.

Emma doesn’t back down, “It gets chilly at night, please?

“Very well.”

Emma helps her into it and they walk out into the admittedly cold air. There isn’t a soul about and every cabin was dark. Emma realises that Ruby must have stayed back well after the party had finished just so they could have more time together. She definitely owes her a drink for that, she thinks.

When they reach the cabin, Regina’s passes the jacket back to her and thanks her for a wonderful evening before reaching up for a final goodnight kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question: I am about to start working on some of the smuttier stuff. I would be interested in any feedback regarding this. Would you guys prefer it if I quickly glossed the smut or would you prefer it to be fully incorporated into the story? I'll try to accommodate the majority. Thanks for reading!


	9. Long drive

AUTHORS NOTE: This chapter does contain some smut. I thought I would give it a try. I have never written any before, because I've never written anything before this story. I have no idea if it is any good but it's the best I could make it. If the general consensus is that I haven't done it very well then I'd be happy to leave it at that and continue the rest of the story without it. I hope you do enjoy it, let me know what you think, and as always, thank you so much for reading.

Long drive.

 

Regina slowly feels her way through the dark, in the cabin. A sliver of moonlight through a crack in the curtains reveals a peacefully slumbering blonde and a mess of tangled covers and limbs on the other bed, with one shoe still on. She's wondering if maybe they are more passed out than asleep when she trips over her sisters jacket that's strewn across the floor. She catches herself on a side table, causing a bit of a clatter. Not a peep from either woman convinces her they must have passed out, she's happy that they have had a good night as well.

She's slowly roused from her sleep by the feeling of a presence nearby. Her eyes begin to open, "AAAARGH! WHAT THE HELL, ZELENA?!" The redhead falls off the bed in laughter, pleased with her self for scaring the crap out of her sister by hovering over her, noses almost touching until the brunette woke up.

She catches the pillow that Regina throws at her and pulls herself up onto her sisters bed. "So, you filthy little stop-out, what time did you get back?" At this point Kathryn has come out of the bathroom and joins them on the bed.

"Sometime after one." Her panic and anger gone in an instant as she thinks of the previous evening.

"The flowers are beautiful," Kathryn says, eyeing the bouquet Regina had put on her bedside table.

"Yes, they are," she can't but smile, "I should probably put them in water."

"Or you could keep them dry and press them when you get home. A reminder of your first date with Emma," the blonde kindly offers.

"That's a good idea," Regina beams.

Zelena stares at them, slightly aghast. "You went on your fist date ever, didn't come home until the middle of the night, and you sit there talking about pressing flowers, like your Martha freaking Stewart? No, no, no! I want details! Full on, sweaty, writhing details! Tell me things that would make mother want to disown you."

She divulges most of the details of the evening to her roommates, having to momentarily pause on a few occasions when Zelena decides to dramatically gag at some of the sweeter parts. The last thing she tells them is how, in a round about way, Emma has basically asked her to be her girlfriend. The two woman throw their arms around her and push her down onto the bed, both of them happy for the woman who had never been very lucky in love.

XXXXXXXX

Todays sessions were all water related and because of that, they didn't start until a little bit later in the morning to make sure that everyone had time to digest their breakfast and not get themselves drowned. Once everyone had been accounted for in the 'water shed,' as it was so aptly named, they were all given wetsuits and a life vest before being split into teams and assigned a schedule. After an hour in their first session they would then be passed to other instructors to do a different activity until each group had tried paddle boarding, kayaking, and scuba diving at the far end of the lake. There's a whiteboard on one of the walls, it has two instructors names next to each activity. She doesn't notice any other names except for Emma's next to 'paddle boarding'. She looks at her group list that she was handed, along with her wetsuit and life vest, and notes that her middle session is paddle boarding.  
When the kayak session finally finishes she heads over to the paddle board station, a few minutes walk down the lake. She trails behind the rest of the group, not wanting to seem too eager, even though she really is. She rounds the last corner and as the station comes into sight, she sees Emma standing on the dock, clad in short, shorts and her tight work top. She had never seen Emma in so little and she stood there drinking up the sight. Her quads were just as big and strong looking as they had felt beneath her last night, she bites her lip at the thought.

She becomes aware of a young woman, younger than Emma even, approaching the blonde. She had her wetsuit unzipped and pulled off the top half of her body, the material hanging loosely around her waist, and a white bikini top the only thing covering her too large to be real, breasts. She feels a bit frumpy looking down at her wetsuit encased body. Her head shoots up when she hears a silly giggle that she knows is coming from the woman she had just been judging. She seethes when she sees the woman laughing and fluttering her eyelashes as she holds onto Emma's arm. To Emma's credit she looks really uncomfortable to be receiving such attention.

In a flash, Zelena is at Regina's side. "I would offer to drown the skip rat but I'm pretty sure those things are unsinkable," she says referring to the woman's chest. "Hey, instructor, I need some help over here," she shouts to Emma.

Regina offers her sister a thankful smile.

The look of relief on Emma's face is instantaneous. The other woman just glares daggers at Zelena, receiving a snide smirk in return. The blonde's face breaks out into a huge smile when she sees Regina. She quickly jogs over to them, her eyes only on her girl.

"Hi." Her eyes don't break from Regina's as she comes to a stop right in front of her.

"Hi," she self consciously replies, definitely feeling frumpy.

"Oh damn," Zelena sarcastically says as she looks down at herself, "did I forget to take my invisibility cape off?" Passing comment on the fact that Emma hadn't greeted her and neither of them were paying her any attention.

"Sorry. Hello. Thanks for saving me, Zelena," she quickly blurts out before looking back at Regina.

"Okay, well, I'll just fuck off, shall I?"

"Sound like a great idea," Regina answers.

She tuts, pretending to be offended but secretly happy with the two of them, before making her way over to Kathryn.

"I've never seen anyone pull off a wetsuit so well," the blonde winks.

"I look like a seal having an identity crisis," she sighs.

Emma laughs, "nuh-huh, you're beautiful, as always."

The brunette wonders if she will ever get used to the fluttering in her chest she gets when Emma calls her that.

The blondes smile drops and she sighs, "I should probably get the class started."

"In a rush to get me wet, are you?" Comes the unexpected ,and teasing reply from the brunettes smirking mouth.

"Sweet Jesus," the blonde husks, "I've said it before and I'll say it again, you are a mean, mean lady. On your head be it if any off these fine people drown because of you leading my mind astray."

The brunette winks and walks over to her friends, leaving a stunned Emma to get herself together before she starts the class.

XXXXXXXX

Emma and the other paddle board instructor, Philip, stand on the dock, facing the group on the shoreline, as they go through a safety demonstration. They let everyone grab a board and paddle around in the shallow water, balancing on their knees to begin with, until they get used to controlling their boards with the paddles. They are both standing in the thigh high water, giving directions and tips to all the guests. When it seems like everyone is comfortable and confident on their boards they then instruct them to try and stand up and paddle a bit further out, into slightly deeper water. For anyone having trouble trying to get up off their knees they steady the board and allow them grab onto their shoulders for balance. Regina is the only one yet to stand up on her board. Emma smiles at her and walks through the water to her.

"May I offer you any assistance?" She professionally asks. "Although, I must admit, I do like you wet and on your knees in front of me," she smugly adds, playing the game that Regina had started before they got in the water.

One thing Regina Mills never does is back down from a challenge. "And what would you have me do on my knees in front of you?"

Emma audibly gulps.

"Cat got your tongue, Miss Swan?" Emma may be physically stronger than her, but she definitely holds all the power right now. She leans in a little, not enough to rouse suspicion, if anyone were to look in their direction, but enough so that Emma can feel her breath on her cheek. "I have many ideas about what I want to do with your tongue when you regain control of it," she continues. She then stands up with ease, having great balance from her horse riding days, and paddles away, once again leaving a stunned Emma in her wake.

XXXXXXXX

It was just after five and the guests had begun to leave the centre, starting their journeys home. Before finishing the paddle boarding session earlier, Emma had asked Regina to wait in her cabin so the blonde could go and say goodbye to her properly. Kathryn and Zelena went to get a coffee before going to the car to wait for Regina.

A gentle knock at the cabin door alerts Regina to the fact the blonde was now there to say goodbye. She was ready to get back to Storybrooke and see her baby boy, God, how she had missed him, but she was loathed to say goodbye to Emma. She opens the door and before she can say hello, Emma is pushing her further into the cabin, kicking the door closed behind herself, her mouth pressed hard to the brunettes. In a second, Regina is pinned up against a wall, her tongue being dominated hard. She's moaning into Emma's mouth and grabbing the blondes hair, pulling her as close as she can. Emma's hands travel to the firm ass that she's been dying to feel since day one. She's squeezing hard, her insides throbbing with need. She's been on fire since Regina's cocky comments earlier that morning. She pulls her lips away to drag them down the brunettes neck, kissing and sucking as she goes. Regina is mewling beneath her and she can't get enough of it.

"Mmm, Emma, yes! That feels so good."

She gives a long hard suck at the juncture between Regina's neck and shoulder, licking over the sensetive skin.

"You've had me aching for you all day. You have no idea how hard it's been to not lock myself away in my cabin and fuck myself to thoughts of you.

Regina gasps at her words.

She pulls back about and runs her hands under Regina's top and over her lace clad breasts, both of them whimpering when she firmly swipes her thumbs over the hard nipples beneath.  
Regina's desperate need between her legs is fuelling her to want more. She starts grabbing at the blondes vest.

"Off," she practically growls. "I want to see you."

The blonde rips the vest off her body and Regina's hands immediately reach out to touch the muscles on show. Emma is still playing with Regina's breasts as the brunette ducks her head and sucks on a hard nipple through the lycra covered chest.

Emma's head flies back, her eyes close tight as she grabs the back of Regina's head to hold her against her chest.

"Jesus fucking Christ. Keep sucking me, baby."

She's not thinking about the two women waiting in the car for her. Her mind can think about nothing but her need to have Emma right there and then. She detaches her mouth from the hard bud for only a second to push the sports bra over the small, firm breasts, then quickly starts sucking on the neglected nipple, her other hand playing with the now wet bud.

"Fuck, baby, your mouth is incredible. Don't stop!"

Regina has no intention of stopping, her only intention is to take things further. She slips her hand under Emma's shorts and panties, not hesitating to slip two fingers between her swollen lips, finding copious amounts of the blondes liquid heat.

"Regina! Oh my God! Yes!"

She starts humping the fingers in her shorts, causing the long digits to glide between her fluttering entrance and swollen clit.

Emma wants Regina to fuck her harder but she knows her shorts are restricting the brunettes hands ability. She takes one hand away from the back of Regina's head, not daring to take both in case Regina stops the incredible tongue sucking she's alternatively lavishing upon her breasts. With her free hand she reaches for her own shorts and forcefully drags them as far down her legs as she can, which is only to just above her knees. She's spread as wide as she can offer, which the brunette hums her approval of against the nipple in her mouth.  
Now with more space for her hand she starts to circle Emma's entrance and rub her clit with her thumb.

"I need you inside me, baby, please. I need you to fuck me!"

Regina doesn't need telling twice. She slowly sinks her middle finger into the blondes slick centre, the muscles around it gripping tightly. She steadily pumps into the blonde as she continues rubbing her clit with her thumb.

"More," she begs.

She pulls out and adds her index finger to the mix before slowly pushing back in, the grip even tighter around her now. She increases the speed and tries to separate her fingers as best she can, to fill Emma better, but it's difficult with the pressure from the blondes swollen walls.

Emma's free hand slides under the back of Regina's pants to her firm ass, squeezing and rubbing it for her own pleasure. She starts rocking hard against the fingers inside of her. She embarrassingly close already but it's hard to care when she's this turned on.

"Fuck. I'm so close. Suck me harder, baby. I need it harder."

The brunette uses her teeth on the nipple in her mouth, biting just hard enough to cause the blonde to pull her hair a bit harder, which she never knew she enjoyed until now. Her digits working faster inside the blonde too, wanting to feel the her come around her fingers. Emma's hips were matching the pace set by Regina's hand, meeting her thrust for thrust.

"Ooh, yesss! Just like that!"

Regina is squeezing her legs together, she wishes she had something inside her. She had debated on getting Emma to use her hand on her but she didn't want any distractions from what she was doing to Emma so she just keeps squeezing.

"You're gonna make me come, baby!"

Regina pinches hard at one nipple as she bites down onto the other, and presses her thumb directly onto the blondes clit.

"MMMM… FUCK… OH FUCK… YES… FUCK ME, BABY!" The blonde is practically howling as she comes around the magical fingers inside her.

The brunette can feel her fingers being squeezed so hard she might have thought it was painful if it wasn't so damn good. It forces her to slow down her thrusting though, helping Emma to ride out her orgasm. The aftershocks continue for a couple of minutes, Emma is in a state of bliss.

When they do finally stop she releases her hand from Regina's hair and uses it to steady herself against the wall behind the brunette. Regina kisses the blondes breasts gently, avoiding the abused nipples as she thought they were probably overstimulated at this point. Emma drags her hand up Regina's back to her face, turning it up to share a soft, wet kiss.

"Holy fuck," the blonde breathes against Regina's lips. "That was incredible, you are incredible."

She slowly brings her hand from between the blondes legs and up to her mouth, sucking on her nectar covered fingers as she holds eye contact with the blonde.  
Emma's eyes almost bug out of her head. "Fuck."

She pulls the newly cleaned digits from her mouth when she's finished sucking on them, "I was just about to say the same thing, Miss Swan," she winks before pulling Emma into a kiss, making her taste herself on her tongue.

"That, Miss Swan, is what you call delicious," she smirks as she breaks the kiss.

"I bet I know something that tastes even better," the blonde purrs as she drags her hand down the brunettes body, rubbing at the front of her pants.

"Emma," she whimpers, her eye closing as she enjoys the ministrations. She knows she has never been this wet before, she can feel the uncomfortableness of it. She wants more than anything to let Emma continue but instead she stills the hand cupping her.

"I have to go, Emma. I'm surprised Zelena hasn't already come looking for me."

Realising that this could happen she pulls her pants up and her bra down, feeling a bit exposed. "Tell them to go. Stay with me a bit longer and I'll drive you home tonight." She knows she must sound whiney but she doesn't care. She needs more of Regina. She wants to make her feel as good as the brunette had just made her feel.

She cups the blondes face, "you have work in the morning and it's an eleven hour round trip."

"I don't have work for another," she looks at her watch, "fifteen hours," She nuzzle into Regina's cheek, "please, baby? I won't be able to sleep tonight anyway, this high is going to last for days," she cheekily winks.

Regina wants to be sensible and tell the blonde that it's a stupid idea to drive for that long, especially in the middle of the night, but she's powerless against those pleading eyes and the feel of her body against hers. Her carnal urges override her brain and she agrees before sending her sister a text to apologise for making them wait but that Emma would be driving her home later.

Zelena's reply text goes unread as Emma carries Regina over to a bed before devouring the most delicious thing she has ever tasted.

XXXXXXXX


	10. Prince Henry.

Prince Henry.

 

After several bouts of, what both women would agree was, earth shattering sex, they collapsed onto the bed, panting hard, but smiling just as hard.

"You should come with a warning label, Mayor Mills."

"Are you," she takes a breath, "complaining, Miss Swan?"

"Hello no! When I die, this is exactly how I want to go."

"Mmm, agreed," the brunette mumbles against the neck she's softly kissing.

They lay there for just a bit longer before deciding they should probably hit the road. Regina wants to take a quick shower first because she's sweatier than she ever remembers being.

"Okay, beautiful. I'll go grab some fresh clothes and have a quick shower at mine. Meet up back here in fifteen?"

"Perfect," she replies, kissing the blondes lips before getting up to go shower.

Emma lays on the bed, completely bewitched by the brunettes naked form walking towards the bathroom. "Oh my god, that ass!" She mumbles to herself. She manages to use what strength she has left to haul herself out of bed and run to her own cabin, not wanting to waste a second of not being with Regina.

In the shower she begrudgingly washes away the smell of their love making, because she knew it was love making even if there wasn't anything slow or gentle about it. Once she has showered she even more begrudgingly brushes her teeth. It has to be done, but damn is she going to miss that taste. Once she is clean and dressed she rushes over to Regina's cabin, let's herself in, and kisses the brunette, who is drying her hair.

She is completely devoid of makeup and Emma sits on the bed and stares at her through the mirror. She has never seen such a beautiful woman, just naturally freaking stunning. She couldn't believe that she was hers.

When she finally turns the hair dryer off, she feels strong arms encircle her waste from behind.

"You ready, sweetheart?" Emma breaths against her cheek.

"If I must," she affirms, as she leans back into the blonde.

She kisses her cheek before stepping back and grabbing her lovers trolley case.

"Come on, we need to get you home. I'm sure Henry has been missing you."

At the mention of her son she give a face splitting smile. "I can't wait to see him. I'm picking him up from my mother's before school, and taking him for pancakes. He loves the blueberry ones from this diner down the street."

"Pancakes? Waffles is the breakfast of champions. Little dude has a lot to learn."

Regina laughs and leads Emma out of the cabin, not forgetting her beautiful bouquet of flowers. "I think you and Henry may have a lot to discuss."

Emma is taken aback, things were going great between them but this was the first time Regina had implied that they would meet. Emma knew she would eventually have to meet him, but now that Regina had said that, she was really looking forward to it.

"Don't worry, I'll set him straight on the best breakfast foods to have," she says with a grin.

"I wouldn't be so sure, he can be quite persuasive."

"Takes after his mother, then?" She teases the brunette.

They close the door and Emma wraps her arm around her girlfriends shoulder, not even thinking of the possibility that Gold could be somewhere in the grounds. They approach Emma's car and Regina bursts out laughing.

"What?" The blonde asks, looking slightly hurt.

"I'm sorry, dear," she squeezes the blondes hip, "but is subtlety not your thing?"

Emma rushes up to her yellow bug and dramatically throws her arms over the bonnet, hugging it. "Don't listen to the mean lady, my beautiful girl, she doesn't know what she's saying," she says to the car as she kisses the bonnet.

Regina laughs then pouts, "I thought I was your beautiful girl?"

Emma rushes back to over her and picks her up in a big bear hug. "You'd better believe it, beautiful, you're all mine." She twirls her around, the brunettes legs wrapping around her.

 

"Promise?"

"Oh yeah. I have no idea how I managed to get you, but now that I have, I'm not going to lose you," the words are said with such sincerity that Regina can't argue.

"She carefully lowers the brunette so she can stand on the ground before opening the passenger door for her. "Your carriage awaits M'lady," she says with an over-exaggerated bow. Once she is seated, the blonde closes the door and runs around to the driver's side, and gets in. Emma ignites the ignition and they start their drive to Storybrooke. She reaches over and entwines her fingers with Regina's in the brunettes lap.

"I feel bad that you're driving me all this way only to have to drive back then go to work."

"I don't. The only other option was that you left with Zelena and Kathryn, and I am so happy that you didn't." She takes her eyes off the road, just for a second, to look over at Regina and smile at her. She wanted her to know that she had absolutely no regrets about what had transpired between them.

"I am glad I didn't go with them either. Tonight was more than I could have dreamed of," she sighs happily.

Emma pulls the entwined hands to her mouth and kisses the back of Regina's hand. "Do you think that maybe, we could meet up again soon? After next weekend I don't have anymore weekends to work for a while." She's not quite sure how they are going to manage it, she knows Regina won't just leave Henry every weekend to be with her, and she would never ask that of the brunette.

"I've been thinking about that and I feel a bit guilty asking, but would you like to stay with us on your next weekend off? I know it's not fair to ask you to drive all this way again but it's a long drive for me to take Henry on, especially just for a weekend. In the school holidays it will be fine, we could come to Boston to see you then."

"Really? You want me to stay with you the whole weekend?" She's grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Of course, as long as you don't mind all the driving."

"Not at all. Will Henry be ok with me coming?" She asks nervously, knowing that if she doesn't get things right with Henry, their relationship will be as good as doomed.

"I'm sure he will love you, Emma," you can have deep, intellectual conversations about breakfast foods," she chuckles. "He's a very laid back boy, he talks a lot so he will probably be very happy to have someone else to tell all about his car collection.

The huge grin is back on Emma's face, could this all really be happening to her? She was so happy she felt like she could cry, but instead she took a deep breath, and gave Regina's hand a squeeze.

A couple of hours later they pull into a service station to refuel and for Regina to find a gift for Henry, just like she'd promised. Once Emma has pumped gas she goes to find Regina who is browsing the small selection of toys available.

"Gas stations don't have the best options, do they." She says, rhetorically, looking over the brunettes shoulder at the offerings.

"They most certainly do not," she sighs as she tries to decide between a small monster truck and a red racing car. She picks them both up as if feeling them could help her make her decision.

"What you have to ask yourself," the blonde pauses as she takes both the cars from Regina's hands, "does Henry prefer speed," she shakes the red racing car in her right hand for emphasis, "or is he more into demolition," she continues as she shakes the monster truck in her left hand.

It touches Regina that Emma is helping her to put thought into this. It's only a small thing but it means something to her to get the thing that would make Henry happiest, even if it is only a silly car. "Well, he is a four year old boy, so definitely destroying things!"

Emma laughs and puts the racing car back on the shelf. "Decision made," she declares.

They also grab a couple of coffees and make their way to the counter to pay for everything, arguing a little over who pays. Regina thinks she should because Emma is only making this trip because of her.

"Miss Swan," Regina says with fake sternness, "It will be better for our relationship in the long run if you just do as I say."

"Oh, it's like that is it?" Emma is giddy from Regina saying the word 'relationship'.

Regina just raises a challenging eyebrow.

"Ok, it's like that," Emma concedes jovially.

Once Regina has paid they make their way back over to the car, Emma once again opening the car door for her girlfriend, before they set off for Storybrooke.  
Eventually the pull up in front of Regina's house, both of them unhappy that this is the last they will see of each other for a couple of weeks.

"Would you like to come in for a coffee or something?" Regina offers.

"Or something!" Emma states whilst wiggling her eyebrows.

Regina laughs deeply before gently slapping Emma's thigh. "You are insatiable, dear!"

"You can't really blame me, have you seen yourself?" She gives a low, appreciative whistle.

Regina gives an amused shake of her head, before leaning in. "Don't tempt me, Miss Swan." She gives her a deep, knee weakening kiss, before turning and getting out of the car.  
Regina is halfway down her garden path before Emma is back on planet earth and rushing to catch up with the torturous brunette.

"Damn temptress," Regina hears being grumbled behind her. She throws her head back in laughter. She really could get used to this she thinks. Emma is constantly making her laugh and smile, even if it isn't on purpose. Just by being by who she is, she lightens up Regina's world.

After a quick coffee for Emma and a camomile tea for Regina, they are on the porch saying their goodbyes. They hold around each other, their arms a comforting promise to each other that they will see each other soon. Their kisses are not about their libidos but their affection for each other. With a final small kiss, Emma steps back and tells the brunette to get some sleep.

"I will, please text me when you get home?"

"Sure, goodnight, beautiful."

"Goodnight, Emma."

As soon as she pulls up to her apartment she texts Regina to say she's home. She wonders whether she should try to get an hour of sleep before work but on getting out of the car and feeling how stiff she is from sitting in the same position for hours, she decides that a quick run will do her some good.

Her phone beeps almost immediately. "I'm glad you got home safe. Thank you for the wonderful weekend."

"The pleasure was all mine," she sends back.

"Actually, four pleasures were all mine ;) ," she cheekily text back in reference to their activities the evening before.

Emma laughs out loud but decides she needs to change the topic before does end up going to bed for an hour, but not to sleep.

"Mayor Mills it is not even breakfast time yet, get your mind out of the gutter :p I'm going to go for a run now, I hope you and Henry enjoy your gross pancakes."

XXXXXXXX

Regina lets herself into her mother's house, instantly hearing little feet run through the house towards her.

"Mommy," Henry excitedly shouts when he sees her, "I've been waiting for you."

She bends down to pick him up and hug him tight against her. "Hello, my prince. I've missed you so much," she says, kissing his face over and over. He squeals in joy but constantly tries to avoid each kiss like it's a game.

"Hello, Regina," her mother is standing a few feet away, a knowing smirk plastered all over her face, "good weekend?" She tries to ask innocently.

Regina needs to find out how much her mother knows so to distract Henry, she reaches into her handbag and pulls out the monster truck, making him squeal even louder.

"Were you a good boy this weekend?"

"Yes, mommy," he says and Cora nods her head in agreement.

"Well, this is for you then, do you want to go play with it for a few minutes before we go have some breakfast?"

His little hands grasp for it as he nods his head enthusiastically. She gives him his present before giving him a kiss to his temple and setting him down so he can go play with it.

"Thanks, mommy he excitedly shouts as he runs to the living room to have fantastical adventures with his new toy.

"No running," she calls out after him. He slows his pace to a fast walk. The two women both smile as they watch him leaving with his toy. She turns to her mother and asks with a sigh, "how much has Zelena told you?"

Cora laughs, putting her arm around her daughter, "not enough," she answers as they make their way to the kitchen. Cora pours herself a coffee but Regina refuses, saying she will get one in the diner. It's about the only thing they do right there.

"All she's told me is that when she sees you together it makes her want to vomit, which I'm assuming is a good thing, and that you stayed at the camp a bit later with her last night…" she trails off with a cocked eyebrow, the implication obvious.

Regina ignores that last part of the sentence, she is not talking about that with her mother. "Things are going really well between us, she makes me happy."

Cora gives her daughter a big smile, "I'm really glad. It's about time you put that nightmare of a relationship with that witch out of you mind." She had never liked Mal, she hated the way she treated her daughter.

"I did that ages ago, mother," she counters.

"No, sweetheart, you didn't. If you had then you wouldn't have waited this long to have a relationship again."

She supposes her mother might be right, not that it matters. "I really have to go now, if we want to have enough time for breakfast before Henry has to be in school."

"You are not getting out of this that easy, Regina. I will bring lunch to your office today, is one okay? I want to know more about this Emma."

"I'm really busy today, mother." She isn't ready to have the third degree from her, she can be even worse than Zelena, when it comes to protecting her children.

"I will see you at one, darling," it is said with such finality that Regina knows not to argue back.

She gives Cora a kiss on the cheek before thanking her then getting Henry and his school bag ready.

XXXXXXXX

"What would you like for breakfast?" She asks Henry as they get themselves comfortable in the booth at the diner.

"Pancakes!" Is his enthusiastic answer, as it always is.

When the waitress comes over she places their order, waffles and coffee for herself and she adds a juice to Henry's request for pancakes that he half screams at the waitress in his excitement. She had never had the waffles from here before but given Emma's love for waffles in general, she thought she would give them a go.

As they wait for their food she asks Henry about his weekend and gets a very detailed run down of everything he did with his Grandma, including a blow by blow account of making cupcakes. It was very important to him that she knew every little thing he did in the making of the 'best cupcakes in the world'. He really was a kid that never stopped talking but it was one of her favourite things about him. She could listen to his childish ramblings for hours.

When their food arrived, Henry immediately tucked in like he hadn't been fed all weekend. She had to smile at this, she loved that he wasn't a fussy eater, it definitely made her life easier. She had never really had to deal with him throwing temper tantrums over not wanting to eat something.

She took a delicate bite of her waffle, it wasn't too bad but definitely nowhere near as good as the ones she'd had with Emma.

"Mommy?" He said after he swallowed a mouthful of pancake, he knew has wasn't allowed to talk with food in his mouth.

"Yes, sweety?"

"Are you going to go away again?" His features dropped a little, the sparkle that constantly lives in his eyes was faded. She felt like the worst mother in the world right then. He wasn't used to her not being there for their weekends together and she had done it to him twice in a matter of weeks.

"No, Henry." She was certain in her answer because Emma would be going there next, then if all went well between them, it would be summer holidays and she could take Henry to Boston.

"Ok, good. I missed you, mommy."

"I missed you too, my little prince."

XXXXXXXX

At one o' clock precisely Regina's secretary calls through to say that her sister and mother are there. Shit! She didn't know Zelena would be there. She should have guessed that she would come along to watch her squirm though.

"Send them through," she says through the phone.

The door opens and Zelena is the first one through it, an evil smirk spreading across her features when she notices that Regina's shirt is fully buttoned, something the Mayor never does.

"Oh, Regina! Do you have a hickey under there?" The redhead rushes over and tries to undo the top button on her sisters shirt.

"Get off me," she squabbles with her sister.

"Zelena, leave her alone. We didn't come here to torture her."

"You may not have, mother, but that is exactly why I am here." She does back off though and takes a seat on the other side of the desk as Regina glares at her.  
Cora unloads Tupperware full of food from a bag onto the desk.

"So," she starts as she hands a box of pasta salad to her youngest, "tell me some more about Emma."

Regina smiles at the mention of Emma then blushes when she realises both women are staring at her, waiting for an answer.

Regina doesn't really know where to begin but she knows she will be hounded until they get a proper answer. "She's amazing. So sweet and caring. We have so much fun together."

"Oh, I bet you do," Zelena interrupts.

"Leave your sister alone," Cora reprimands.

Zelena sighs and slumps into the chair with a roll of her eyes.

Regina gives her a smirk, the same one she always gives her sister when she gets a telling off from their mother. It was childish but deserved the brunette decided.  
"Continue," Cora softly urges her daughter.

"She is just so easy to be around, she always makes me laugh. I don't feel like I have to hide who I am from her, I can just be myself. It's so liberating. With Mal I always tried to be what she wanted me to be, hoping it would keep her faithful if I gave her everything she wanted. It's not like that with Emma. She has such capacity for love without even knowing it. She makes me feel things I've never felt before and I love it."

Cora reaches over to squeeze her daughters hand. "I think you might be in love with her, my dear girl."

She blushes even harder and bites her lip. She doesn't want to get too far ahead of herself. After all, a lot hinges on how things go between Emma and Henry.

"If you think Regina is in love you should see Emma," Zelena says to her mother, "she walks around all doe eyed after Regina. Like a lost little puppy."

"She does not!" Regina protests.

"She does too. She would rip her own heart out of her chest and give it to you if you asked. All weekend I had to put up with you two practically radiating light when you were in the same room."

Regina wants to argue back just for the sake of arguing but she doesn't because she thinks Zelena might be right.

"Am I going to get to meet her at some point?" Cora queries.

"She's coming up the weekend after next."

"Wonderful, she is so easy to torture!" Zelena beams.

Regina is about to start arguing with her sister again but Cora cuts in, "why don't you bring her over for dinner?"

"I'm not sure, mother. She can be quite shy and it might be a lot for her to have dinner with my mother on the same weekend she meets my son for the first time."

"Have a think about it and let me know what you decide. From the sounds of things, she isn't going anywhere anytime soon, I can wait," she finishes with a smile.

XXXXXXXX

When she and Henry are having dinner a few nights later she decides to broach the subject of Emma coming over to say. She's almost certain he will be fine with it but she just wants to get him used to the idea. She and Emma had been texting throughout the day, as usual, and the blonde had suggested that if Henry was up for it, the could try Skyping before they meet. Regina thought it was a great idea so she was tentatively approaching it with Henry now.

"Do you know why Mommy went away this weekend?"

He shakes his head.

"Well, I made a friend so I went to see her."

"I like seeing my friends too," he said with a smile.

"I know you do, darling. You know how they sometimes come over to play?"

"Yessss, that's the bestest," he eagerly nods.

This wasn't the time for correcting him so she continued, "well, mommy's friend, Emma, is going to come over." She waits to see his reaction, hoping it will be positive.

"Can I play with her too?" He innocently asks.

"Of course you can, she said she can't wait to meet you."

"Really?" The excitement evident in his voice.

"Oh yes, I told her all about what a good boy you are,"

He beamed with pride at this. "When is she coming, mommy?

"In nine more sleep." It was actually eight but because the blonde was going to drive straight from work the following Friday, she wouldn't be there until after midnight so technically it was nine more sleeps for him as he wouldn't see her until Saturday morning.

He counts to nine on his fingers then holds the correct amount up to his mom.

"That's right, my prince."

"I can't wait!"

"If you want, you can see her after dinner, on mommy's computer."

"Okay, mommy," he eagerly agrees.

She can't believe how easy that was. Once they have finished eating and she's kept the dishes she sends Emma a text to ask if they could Skype in a few minutes, before Henry has his bath.

"Yeah, I can't wait!"

She smiles when she remembers that was Henry's exact response to meeting Emma.

She turns her laptop on and Henry is excitedly bouncing in her lap. She can see that Emma is already online so she begins the call. After just a moment Emma's smiling face appears on the screen.

"Hello, Emma. I would like to introduce you to Prince Henry," she says, giving her son a kiss on top of his head.

"Prince Henry!" She exclaims, putting her arm across her body and bowing theatrically as she sits on her couch.

He turns to face Regina, giggling, "she's silly, mommy."

He look back at the screen and Emma is pulling funny faces, "I'm not silly."

He giggles even louder. "Yes, you are."

Regina is lovingly watching their interaction. She hopes this is a sign of things to come. She doesn't get a chance to talk to Emma because Henry starts telling her all about school and his friends, to the ducks in the park, and how he always bakes with his Grandma. Emma attentively listens and asks him questions, making him feel important.

Before long, she knows she has to interrupt them because it's getting late and Henry needs his bath, then stories before bed. She's loathed to do it because watching them interact is the most heart-warming this she has ever witnessed.

"I don't wana go. Mommy. I want to talk to Emma," he moans, crossing his arms over his chest in protest. His bottom lip starts quivering but before he begins to cry Emma calls through the screen.

"Hey, Prince Henry, I have to go for my bath too. But if we ask your mom really nicely, maybe we can talk again tomorrow night, would you like that?"

At the mere mention of talking to Emma again his pout is gone and with a happy smile he turns to his mom, "Please, mommy? I'll go for a bath," he bargains with her.

Okay, sweetheart, say goodnight to Emma."

He turns back to screen, "night night, Emma. Tomorrow I will show you my favourite cars!"

"I can't wait," she fondly smiles at the little boy.

"Go pick a bath toy and I'll be right up."

He gives her a nod and wriggles down onto the floor before going to pick a toy.

"Well, he is utterly adorable!" Emma beams.

"He is, and he's quite taken with you, Miss Swan."

"What can I say, I'm a Mills charmer," she winks.

"I can't argue there, even Zelena likes you and she hates everyone!"

Emma gives a full belly chuckle. "I just have to win over your mom and I'll have the whole set."

"Are you sure you are okay having dinner with my mother, we can do it another time if you'd prefer?"

"Regina, sweetheart, I want to meet her. If I can handle Zelena, your mom will be a walk in the park."

She knows her mother is right, she is so in love with Emma, seeing the way she was with Henry just cemented what she already knew in her heart. "I'd better go before he attempts to run his own bath," she chuckles.

"Okay, beautiful. Talk later?"

"I'll call you when I get in bed."

She did call her as soon as she got in bed and Emma did Skype with Henry the next evening, and the one after that. In fact, they Skyped every night until it was time for Emma to meet him in person, and each night she would count down with Henry how many more sleeps there were.

xxxxxxxx


	11. Boob trampling

Boob trampling.

 

Pulling up and shutting off the engine, a happy sigh escaping her as she sends Regina a text to say that she has arrived, not wanting to knock on the door and risk waking Henry. She pockets her phone then grabs her holdall from the passenger seat to make her way to her girlfriends house. As soon as she opens the gate she can see Regina standing on the porch, illuminated by the small light above her. She all but runs to the brunette, so happy that the two week wait to see the beauty is finally over. 

To her great surprise, Regina is wearing a silver negligee under a black, mid-thigh robe. She knew her girlfriend had impeccable style but she had never seen her in anything so racy.

Regina is just as excited to see Emma, she practically jumps into her arms, luckily Emma was quick enough to catch her and hold her up as the brunette wraps her legs around the slim hips.

“Hello, beautiful,” the blonde says, pressing her forehead and nose to her girlfriends.

“Hello, Miss Swan. I’ve missed you.” 

“God, I’ve missed you too. She very gently kisses the Mayor, their lips barely touching as she looks into deep brown eyes.

“Take me inside.” Regina urgently demands against pink lips.

The blonde does as commanded and when they are inside she takes one hand off of Regina, easily able to hold the petite woman up with one arm, so that she can quietly close the door, she knows she can’t just kick it closed with the sleeping boy upstairs. She drops her holdall and still not saying or word or breaking eye contact, she backs Regina against the closed door. 

The hands gently gripping her blonde hair encourage her to press her lips harder to the parted ones on offer in front of her. She does kiss her a bit harder but she really wants to savour this kiss, she knows they have all night but she has fantasised about kissing Regina constantly since they were last together. She doesn’t delve in straight away, she teases and excites the crimson lips. Nibbling and sucking on them, running her tongue over them, receiving a moan in return. All the while her hands are holding Regina’s thighs, her thumbs rubbing over the exposed skin just below the panty line on her hips. After a couple of minutes she takes pity on the whimpering brunette and kisses her deeply, their tongues searching for each other, desperately wanting to taste and feel the other.

Regina’s grip on her scalp is unrelenting and unapologetic, she is desperate for the woman holding her. She unconsciously begins rolling her hips against the blondes shirt covered stomach, Emma can feel the heat of Regina’s pussy against her, making her hum into the kiss. It’s becoming messy and uncoordinated, the sweetness, and depth of their absence from each other replaced by a burning desire to take one another. Emma slides one of her hands around Regina’s bum, giving it a firm squeeze before moving lower until she is rubbing the brunette entrance over her dampening panties.

“Emma… please… upstairs,” she manages to pant out between dominating kisses that have travelled to her neck.

Emma doesn’t need a second invite, she heads for the staircase, Regina still clinging to her body. The blonde jogs up the stairs as quickly and quietly as possible.

“Which room?”

“The one at the end,” comes the needy reply.

She looks over the brunettes shoulder to see an ajar door with a dim light streaming through it and without hesitation she makes her way over. Regina’s hands are squeezing firm breasts and her mouth sucking along a strong collarbone. She lays her girlfriend on the bed, her arms holding her above the brunette as she tries to kick off her shoes before scrambling on top of her. Emma tenderly slips her arms under Regina’s back and moves them both so the brunettes head is on the pillows. They resume kissing deeply and Emma slips a hand up to the knot of the robe, sitting back on her knees to look into blown pupils, silently asking for permission. With a small nod of acquiescence, she slowly unravels the knot and separates the material. Regina’s chest is heaving, her hard, braless nipples pushing against the material of her camisole. 

The blonde sits there, looking down at her girlfriend, just taking her in. Regina’s knees are bent, causing the camisole to ride up past her panties, revealing the damp patch that Emma had felt against her stomach only a few moments ago. She puts her hands on Regina’s knees and runs them slowly down her thighs, over her panties and to the camisole she begins pushing up, revealing a tanned stomach. When it’s pushed as far as her breasts Regina gets the hint and sits up to allow Emma to undress her. Once her robe and camisole have been discarded the reaches for the hem of Emma’s t-shirt, pulling it over her head.

Emma gently pushes the brunette down and runs her hands up her toned stomach until she reaches the perfect handful of breasts, lightly squeezing them, loving the feeling of the hard buds against her palms.

“You are so fucking beautiful,” she breathes out, watching the breasts in her hands rise and fall with the brunettes panting. 

The only time the blonde ever really swears is during sex, her libido seems to override her filter and Regina loves it, she loves hearing the blonde so uncontrolled.

She leans over to take the plump lips again, not letting go of Regina’s breasts. Her core muscles being strong enough to support her so that she doesn’t put any pressure on the brunettes body. This show of strength drives Regina crazy. She reaches for her belt buckle, the kiss dizzying her so much her hands are uncoordinated, unable to perform such a simple task.

Emma sits up and reaches down to help her, as soon as it’s undone she pushes the jeans down her solid quads, and frees herself from the constraint of denim. The brunette loves the sight of her in black boy shorts and matching sports bra. She could look at the finely sculpted body all day, but she’s waited long enough as it is.

“Everything off,” the brunette pants.

Emma is naked before Regina has even finished pushing her panties down her legs. The blonde pulls them from her ankles and throws them somewhere behind her. Regina isn’t shy but she automatically closes her legs as Emma kneels before her.

“Open your legs for me, baby, I need to see you.” She gently pushes the brunettes knees apart and moves between them. The small patch of dark curls is glistening, her lips swollen and dripping, she can even see her hole clenching in need. “Mmmm, so fucking wet for me.” She leans over Regina to kiss her again, one hand holding her up as the other slides between her legs, her index finger slipping between her lips to rub over her quivering hole but not entering.

Regina moans into the kiss, lifting her hips, to demand what her voice can’t, allowing Emma to easily slip inside her. The tight, hot, wet muscles gripping her finger send her into overdrive.

“I need to make you cum, Regina, I want to make you cum in my mouth.”

Regina can do nothing but grip the sheets and bite her lip, as the mouth she loves so much makes its way down her neck, sucking and licking. The sensation of the air cooling against the wet trail left behind has her canting her hips against the single digit even harder.

Emma’s slow path down her body stops at her breasts, sucking each nipple hard before trying to suck as much of each breast into her mouth as she can fit.

One of Regina’s hands fly to her mouth, biting down onto it to control the noises she is making. 

Emma continues down, kissing olive skin as she goes. The closer she gets to the pussy she is desperate for, the stronger the heady scent, exciting her further. Without ceremony she pulls out of the sopping channel and slides back in with two fingers as she closes her mouth over the protruding clit on show. The brunette is writhing so hard beneath her that she has to hold her down by placing a hand over her stomach, rubbing her thumb over her taut skin. She uses her mouth to suck and lick all over the brunettes pussy as her powerful hand fucks her. Regina grabs a pillow to bite down on so she can use her hands to pinch at her nipples. Sweat is forming on her forehead as she feels herself near orgasm, with no other way to let Emma know she’s close she pushes at the blondes head to move lower. Needing no further instruction she removes her fingers, only to move them to the brunettes clit as her tongue enters the writhing woman. She reaches as far inside as she can and licks at the clenching walls. Within seconds her head is being wrapped by two tan thighs and Regina is wantonly grinding against her face, forcing her orgasm into the accepting mouth. Emma can’t do anything but keep her mouth open and swallow everything that’s running down her throat.

The moans and grunts that are quietened by the pillow, keep Emma going, she needs to hear more, taste more. As Regina’s orgasm slowly subsides Emma starts a fast pace on the sensitive clit, her mouth renewing its efforts on her pussy, quickly dragging another orgasm from the brunette. When she has drawn that out for as long as she can she feels the hand on her head gently pushing her away, she reluctantly removes her tongue only to lightly lap at the swollen, flushed lips. 

“Come here,” Regina quietly gasps, gently tugging on the blondes hair. Emma rushes up her body until she’s leaning on her elbows, her apex cradled between the thighs that were moments ago wrapped around her head, their bodies flush. 

“Mmmm,” she’s moans as she tastes herself in Emma’s mouth, as they kiss deeply. “Give me a minute to catch my breath, and I’ll show you just how much I’ve missed you,” the brunette purrs as she rubs her hands down the muscled back.

“Oh, yeah? How are you going to do that?” The blonde moans into her neck, sucking the droplets of sweat from her skin.

She taps her bum, “roll over and I’ll show you.” Emma does exactly that, holding Regina against her, not allowing their bodies to part. 

She manoeuvres herself so her pussy crushes against the blondes stiff clit. Emma grabs her hips firmly, holding her in place and thrusting up. Feeling the brunette come in her mouth twice has her throbbing and on fire.

Regina dips her head down to suck a nipple into her mouth harshly, holding it tightly between her lips as her tongue flicks against it over and over, the way she knows Emma love it. 

“Holy fuck, baby! Yes…just like that. Keep sucking.” She’s desperately trying the control the volume of her begging and just about succeeding. 

 

Her pussy is gliding over and over Emma’s clit at a frantic pace set by the blonde and she ruts into her, the wet noise of their juices is the only thing louder than the blondes moaning.

“I’m not going to last, please, I’m so close. Make me cum against your pussy.” 

She moves up to kiss the blonde, tongues uncoordinated and sloppy as she pinches both nipples and cants her hips with more pressure.

The scream Emma releases in caught in her mouth as the blondes hips lift off the bed, her back arching and fingers now probably bruising her hips. Regina can’t say she really minds though. Once Emma comes down from her high, falling back onto the bed, Regina softly kisses her until her breathing calms down.

“I might have to gag you next time, Miss Swan.”

“Mmmm. Sorry, baby. You’re just so good,” she happily moans as her arms wrap around the brunette. “You make me cum so hard.”

Regina moves to lay on her side, propping her head in her hand and putting a thigh over one of Emma’s. She trails her fingers over the solid abs of her girlfriend and further down until she’s brushing against soft, sticky, curls. She dips down further, through drenched lips until she reaches her dripping core. She slides her fingers inside her and softly rubs against the raised patch of her girlfriends front wall, earning a deep moan. She keeps up her gently ministrations wanting to work up the blonde again.

Leaning down to the gently suck on an earlobe she whispers to the blonde, “Tell me Em-ma, what would you like me to do? Would you like me to make you cum again?” The blondes hips jerk at the husky voice in her ear.

“God, yes. Make me cum again.”

She rubs a little harder and quicker. “Like this?”

“Yes, suck me clit too. I want that hot mouth on me.”

“Mmmm,” she pants into her ear before nipping her earlobe. “Very well, but I’m going to need you to be quiet, if my mouth is on your clit, I can’t very well swallow your moans this time, can I?”

“I’ll be quiet. Just please…” she trails off, pushing her hips down to fuck herself harder against the fingers inside her.

Regina loves the clenching sensation against her fingers and wiggles them as best she can.

“Yes… Oh fuck… Yes.” She knows she can’t keep making noise so she grabs a pillow and bites down like the brunette had had to do.

Regina moves between the blondes open legs, not stopping her movements inside her lover. She kisses the hard nub, causing Emma to shiver before completely enveloping it in her mouth and running her tongue around in it tight circles.

Emma reaches down and holds the back of Regina’s head, not pushing or demanding, just holding. The brunette intermittently sucks and flicks at the clit, not letting Emma get used to one particular feeling. It’s almost disappointing to the blonde when one pattern is getting her close, only to stop, and change to something else. 

Regina can feel Emma getting frustrated but she’s slowly trying to build up the sensation. Emma had come quickly earlier, not that she minded, but she wanted the blonde to enjoy the build-up. She knew it was working when she felt her warm liquid dripping down her wrist. The blondes hips were rocking quicker and the hand at the back of Regina’s head was now gripping her hair, all the teasing was paying off. Even when Regina changed pattern now, the sensation barely dropped, she felt like she was constantly on edge, just waiting for the brunette to push her over. 

She sucks her clit and lets it go with a wet pop. “I want you to cum for me now, Emma.”

Emma whimpers and pulls her back to her clit. Holding her against her pussy, not sure if it was her tongue or lips rubbing over her clit as she cums harder than she can ever remember cumming. Regina keeps sucking and licking at whatever piece of flesh is thrust against her mouth, loving the unbridled passion of Emma writhing into her. When the grip eventually loosens in her hair and the tight clenching around her fingers becomes a sporadic flutter she pulls away to crawl up her girlfriends body. Taking the pillow off Emma’s face she offers her fingers to the blondes mouth and watches in awe as the blonde licks them clean, swallowing her own cum from the fingers. 

When she pulls them out she replaces them with her mouth. The mixture of both their flavours is wonderfully intoxicating as they kiss deep and slow.

Regina eventually pulls back and lays in the cook of Emma’s shoulder, being cradled by a strong arm.

“Wow.” The blonde smiles as she turns her head to look at her girlfriend..

Regina smiles back at her and hums her agreement. She feels like she could fall asleep in a minute, she’s so sated and comfortable, but she knows they can’t. “We should probably throw something on. Henry has a habit of bursting in on weekend mornings.”

“Yeah, probably a good idea. I don’t want to mentally scar him on our first meeting,” she chuckles. “Oh crap, my bag is downstairs,” she remembers.

Regina forces herself to leave the bed. “I’ll go get it,” she says, looking around for her discarded robe.

Emma can’t take her eyes off the curvaceous bum that she loves so much. “It should be illegal for you to ever wear clothes.”

Regina chuckles as she slips on her robe and disappears out the door. She reappears a few moments later and hands Emma her bag. The blonde digs through it for her night shorts and band t-shirt as Regina puts on a matching silk pyjama pants and vest set.

When she gets back in bed Emma holds her from behind as they lay on their sides, hands intertwined on her stomach.

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to be in the same bed as you? Won’t Henry have questions?” She nuzzles her nose into the back of Regina’s neck.

“If he has any questions I will answer them honestly, but I doubt he will. He thinks you are mommy’s friend who is having a sleepover. Honestly, sweetheart, the worst you have to worry about is Henry running in and jumping on you whilst you are still sleeping.”

“I think I can handle that.” She smiles at the thought.

“You say that now, but just wait until you’re rudely awaken by a small foot to the boob.”

The blonde laughs into the back of her neck. “I’ve got a feeling that the little man is worth all the boob trampling in the world.”

“I think that’s the strangest sentence I have ever heard,” she laughs lightly and gives Emma’s fingers an appreciative squeeze. “Goodnight, Miss Swan.”

“Goodnight, Mayor Mills.”


	12. Racing Stripes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would anyone be interested in the shower scene or shall we move straight onto the dinner with Cora?

Racing stripes.

 

“MOMMY,” being shouted as Henry’s feet stomped down the hallway was their alarm clock that morning. Before either women could even sit up he was clambering onto the bed and throwing himself at Regina. “Mommy, Emma’s coming to...” he trailed off as he recognised the blonde lying next to Regina. “EMMA!” He squealed as he then threw himself onto her.

“Oooomph!” He pounces onto her and she catches him and throws her arms around him in a big bearhug. “Good morning, Prince Henry.”

He grabs onto her face with his chubby little hands, barely able to believe she was there. “You’re here already.” His eyes wide with a mixture of astonishment and excitement.

“Yep, I got here early so we could have breakfast together. You told me that the diner down the road does the best pancakes in the world, so I thought I should probably try them.”

“They do! They are the bestest, Emma! We can have them together.” He’s so excited to share one of his favourite things with his new best friend. Regina sits back against the headboard, watching them and their easy rapport, a smile spread across her face. Henry turns his head to Regina, his body firmly planted over Emma’s legs. “Can we, Mommy? Pleeease.”

“Yeah, can we Regina, pleeease?” The blonde imitates with a teasing glint in her eyes.

“I don’t know,” she taps her finger to her chin, “I was thinking we could have oatmeal.” She teases back.

His little face scrunches up in disgust, they often eat it together, but he doesn’t think that’s going to be good enough for his best friend. “No, mommy, Emma wants pancakes.” He tries using Emma to convince his mom.

“I suppose if I can get my morning kiss, then we can get pancakes,” she puckers as she bargains with her son.

He leans over, not moving from Emma and gives her a quick kiss but she drags him over and kisses him all over his face, and tickles him as he squeals and wriggles. Between giggles he begs his mom, “no… mommy… stop.”

Emma jumps in and tickles Regina, making her quickly stop what she’s doing to Henry. She stores the fact that her girlfriend is ticklish to the back of her mind, to use at a later date. Henry joins in the playful assault on his mom, but he’s grabbing and poking more than actually tickling.

“Okay, okay,” Regina breathlessly wheezes. “I give up.”

“Yay! We win!” He shouts, jumping onto Emma.

“We sure did, little dude!” They are cheering and they give each other a high five.

Regina crosses her arms and fake pouts, like Henry has often done. “So are you two going to be ganging up on me all weekend?”

“No, mommy. I’m sorry,” his little face turns serious, not being able to discern her fake sadness. He moves from Emma to hug his mom, the two women can’t help but chuckle at the change in his demeanour.

“I forgive you, my baby boy. Now, let’s get dressed so we can go have breakfast!”

“Pancakes!” He shouts as he jumps off the bed, his stamping feet retreating to his room to get dressed.

“No running!” Regina shouts after him, but he barely slows down, due to his excitement.

“Morning, beautiful,” Emma says into an olive shoulder as she kisses it.

“Good morning, dear. I do believe I am owed a kiss from you if you want pancakes as well.”

“If I must,” the blonde dramatically sighs before kissing Regina softly, slipping an arm around her waist. “Mmm,” the blonde hums into it, “now that’s the bestest,” she mimics Henry’s made up word.

The brunette gives a heartfelt laugh and shakes her head at the playful woman. “As much as I would like to stay in bed with you all day and give you the bestest kisses, I really must go check that Henry isn’t putting on different socks, and running his toothbrush under the water to try and deceive me.” She gets out of bed, stretching out her back.

“Is it okay if I grab a quick shower?” Emma asks, pointing towards the en suite.

“Help yourself, sweetheart. There are fresh towels hanging up.” She leans over the bed to kiss her girlfriend once more before she makes her way to see what the damage is after Henry has gone through his clothes, there are usually a few sets of clothes strewn across the room as he decides what to wear.

Emma practically dances her way to the bathroom, she can’t ever remember a time where she felt this happy. She is a master at having quick showers, and soon she's dressed and following the sound of her two favourite voices down to the kitchen. Henry is sat at the kitchen table with a colouring book and Regina has just finished pouring herself a coffee.

Henry is the first one to see her. “Hey Emma, I have juice!” He merrily shouts, holding up his juice cup, as if to prove it. “You want some?”

“Mmm yeah, I like juice too,” she takes the offered cup and pretends to drink from it for a long time, gulping exaggeratedly.

He’s giggling wildly at her antics and Regina stands with her back to the counter, sipping her coffee and smiling. “There’s coffee in the pot, if you have any room left after all the juice she drank,” she plays along.

“She didn’t drink the juice, mommy, she just pretended!” He says as he looks into the cup Emma passes back to him.

“Good, you can finish that up when mommy goes shower, okay?” He nods at her as he takes a sip.

“I’ll be as quick as I can, will you be okay to keep an eye on him for a bit?” She asks the blonde, standing closer than Emma feels she can handle after the amazing night they had.

“I’m sure I can manage.” She pours herself a cup of coffee as a distraction from her impure thoughts. She wants to kiss the brunette but she’s unsure what Henry would make of it. He knows she’s mommy’s friend but no more than that, so she fights the urge, she’ll let Regina dictate this.

Regina, as if reading her mind, gives her a chaste kiss on the lips. “I’ve told you, I will answer whatever questions he may have.” They both look over at him but he’s too busy with his colouring to notice them. “He’s going to have to find out sooner or later, and I plan on keeping you around, Miss Swan, so sooner is probably better.”

She does begin to wonder if it’s normal to smile this much or if she is doing permanent damage to her cheeks. She steals another kiss and winks, “go get ready, Mayor Mills. I want pancakes.”

Whilst Regina is showering, Emma helps Henry with his colouring, well, she passes him the colours he asks for as he continues to ignore the lines he’s meant to be colouring within.

When Regina is finally done, she makes her way downstairs, looking immaculate as usual, in a figure hugging grey dress. “Henry, time to put your things away so we can get pancakes.” He quickly keeps his colouring book and crayons and goes to get his coat, insisting that Emma and not his mom, has to help him put it on. 

Once out of the garden gate Henry excitedly points at the yellow car parked by the curb. “Look mommy, a lellow car.” There definitely wasn’t a similar colour car in all of Storybrooke so it immediately stood out to him.

“It’s ‘yellow’ baby.” She says slowly, so he can hear it properly.

“Yuh-lellow,” he seriously tries to repeat. Regina repeats in with him until he gets it. Emma can’t help but be awed by how great a mother Regina is.

“Do you like my car, Henry?” She asks, squatting to his level.

“It’s your car?” Yeah, it’s pretty! Can I ride in it?” 

She quickly looks at Regina for permission, which is granted with a nod. “We can go after breakfast. At least one of you Mills’ has good tastes in cars,” she chuckles at Regina’s scoff.

He cheers loudly before taking each of their hands and pulling them along to the diner, in a rush for his blueberry pancakes.

XXXXXXXX

 

Once they are all sitting in a booth, Emma next to Regina, and Henry opposite them, the blonde picks a menu, pretending to mull over options. “What shall I have?” She asks out loud, knowing that pancakes will be the only acceptable answer to the four year old. She feels Regina giving her a little nudge, the brunette guessing what she’s up to.

“We’re getting pancakes, Emma!” Betrayal evident across his face.

“But waffles are soooo much better, Prince Henry.” She puts her menu down, waiting for him defend his beloved breakfast of choice.

“No, pancakes are better.” He really didn’t see why she couldn’t just understand that.

“Are you sure?” She enjoys teasing him but she knows he’s too young to express himself properly and she doesn’t want to send him into a tantrum.

“Yes, Emma. I promise,” he answers, so exacerbated with trying to convince her.

“Okay, okay, you look like you know what you’re talking about. I trust you.” Those three little words completely brightened up his face. His best friend, an adult no less, trusted him. Emma could have sworn she could see his chest puff up in pride.

Regina must have noticed too because she gives Emma’s knee an appreciative squeeze under the table, and leans into her side. Emma wraps an arm around her shoulder, still unsure about what Henry would make of it, but Regina had said that he would find out sooner or later anyway. The blonde wasn’t sure if he didn’t care or if he didn’t really understand because he didn’t react to it at all. She was pulled from her pondering by the waitress who seemed to have suddenly appeared at their table. Henry proudly placed the order with a little help from Regina when he ordered juice for everyone, she amended it to two coffees and one juice and thanked the waitress.

They kept chatting, mostly it was Henry telling Emma things that he had already told her in one of their Skype chats but she listened patiently anyway. He would only stop talking when he saw a waitress come from the kitchen, hoping it was their pancakes. He got pretty excited when a waitress did finally come out with them. Henry covered his pancakes in Syrup, Regina and Emma only pouring on a little. 

Emma made a big show of taking her first bite, Henry watching her enthusiastically. “Mmmmmmm,” she moans as she chews, “you are right Henry, these are really good,” she says after swallowing. After having confirmed to him, what he already knew, he happily dug into his breakfast. 

“Do you actually like them?” Regina whispered to the blonde.

“Not really, even for pancakes they suck. I’ll stick to waffles in future.” She quietly replies, not wanting Henry to catch a word of her breakfast betrayal. Regina is trying to stifle a laugh when Emma asks her jokingly, “how bad are you at making pancakes if Henry thinks these are the best?”

“At home I put syrup on them before serving them to him. When we come here it’s the only time he’s allowed to put his own syrup on.”

“Ahh,” she nods her head in understanding, “he practically has them floating in the stuff. Maybe I should try that.” She pours more on and takes another bite. “Yep, that helps.”

Emma still manages to finish them, Henry’s not far behind, and Regina gets through about half of hers. She tell Henry she is full, like she always does when she doesn’t want to finish them. She would never admit to not liking something he enjoyed so much.

When the bill arrived Emma insisted on paying, her argument being that Regina paid for the gas and coffees last time. Regina countered that with the fact Emma wouldn’t have needed to get gas or a coffee if she hadn’t have taken her home. 

“Please?” Emma politely requests, “this is the first time all three of us have gone out together, I really want to do this. I know it’s only a small thing but it would mean a lot to me.” Regina isn’t quite sure why it is such a big deal to the blonde but she relents. Her stubborn streak always seems to soften for the blonde. Once it had been paid they all got their coats on, Henry only wanting Emma’s help, and made their way outside. 

“Now we go in your car, yeah?” He cheekily looks up at the blonde.

“Sure thing, little man.”

They walk back to the car, Regina going to her own car to get Henry’s booster seat. Once they are all safely strapped in Emma ignites the engine, revving it up and making ‘broom broom’ noises as she does so to make Henry laugh. 

Regina directs Emma around town, pointing out places of interest and things the blonde might like to know. It’s only a small town, so Emma gets to grips with the place pretty quickly. She loves the quaintness of it all, it’s nothing like Boston. She liked that Boston was so big, she always felt like she could get lost in the city but when she was with Regina and Henry, she didn’t want to get lost. 

“Ooooh, mommy! Park!” Henry yelled and pointed at the playground they were passing.

“Shall I pull over?” She offers as she glances at the brunette.

“If you wouldn’t mind, the fresh air would do him good, and it might tire him out so we can have a bit of alone time.” She strokes her hand down Emma’s thigh as if to explain what she really means.

“Playground it is,” she states as she pulls over, making Regina chuckle. She runs around to the passenger side to open the door for the brunette, before helping Henry out of his booster seat. They both offer him a hand, which he happily accepts, and walks between them to the playground. 

He sees a couple of his friends playing and starts shouting their names, excited to see them out of school. “Mommy, I want to go play with Nick and Ava!” 

“Okay, have fun and be safe,” she shouts after him as he’s already dropped their hands and run to his friends.

“I think he’s forgotten about me already,” Emma chuckles as they find a bench to sit and watch Henry from.

“Now you know how I’ve felt for the last two weeks! I’ve felt like a third wheel on the Skype chats.”

“Awww, baby,” she wraps an arm around her waist and takes her chin in her hand, “you are my priority… after Henry,” she says with a big cheeky gin on her face.

”I know you’re saying that to be annoying but it kind of makes me like you more.” She gives the blonde a loving kiss.

Emma just smiles shyly and holds her tighter. They sit on a bench, huddled together, and watch Henry until they start to feel rain droplets. They go over to collect him from the swing set and rush to the car as the rain begins to pour down. When they pull up outside the house Emma tells Regina she just has to grab something from the trunk but she’ll follow them straight in. Henry grabs his moms hand and they run down the garden path, giggling all the way at the splashes of rain landing on them. A few seconds later and Emma is rushing in behind them holding a carrier bag. Regina gives a curious glance to the bag. She asks Henry to go pick a DVD and says that she’ll make hot cocoa for them all. After listening to them both talk about cocoa for over half an hour a few nights ago she knew they’d both be agreeable to it, judging from their matching smiles, she was right. Henry runs off to pick a DVD and Emma follows Regina through to the kitchen.

“I just wanted to clear it with you first, I’ve got a little gift for Henry, if that’s okay? I bought it the other day and left it in my car, then last night I was so excited to see you I just forgot about it.” She’s blushing again and rubbing the back of her neck anxiously.

Regina thinks it’s so damn cute when Emma gets nervous and begins rambling, especially when Emma’s anxiety stems from anything to do with her or Henry. It’s so endearing to her that Emma would be so concerned about their wellbeing in any form.

“Emma, sweetheart, of course I don’t mind. You really didn’t have to though.” She pulls the blondes hand from the back of her neck and rubs over her arms. 

“I wanted to. I saw it and I just thought he’d love it. I know how you feel about spoiling children so I really don’t want to overstep the mark.” 

“It’s fine, Emma. Just don’t make a habit of it.” She gives her girlfriend a wink and a comforting smile. “I’m sure he will love whatever it is. Now, help me with the cocoas and then you can give it to him.”

They work side by side, Regina doing the lion’s share of the work and Emma adding the whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. They carry them through to the living room and place them on the coffee table, Regina warning Henry to wait a few minutes as it’s still too hot, even though she added a bit of cold milk to his.

“So, what are we watching, little man?”

“Cars!” He holds the DVD case up to her. 

“I didn’t know you like cars,” shock surprise in her voice, “you kept that quiet!” She continued teasing.

Regina laughed but Henry looked affronted, his young mind not grasping the light sarcasm. “I told you lots, Emma! I even showed you my favourites on the camera.”

“Well, I guess you’ll like the present I got you then.” She holds out the bag to him.

“You got me a present?” He takes the bag and is about to peer inside when Regina calls his name and raises a eyebrow at him, reminding him of his manners.

“Thank you, Emma.”

“You’re welcome, Henry.” She says it with a smile but she’s nervous that he wouldn’t like it. Even though Regina had made sure he wasn’t spoilt he did have more than Emma could have dreamed of as a child.

He looks over at his mom, silently asking permission to find out what his present is, with a nod from her he sticks his little hand inside and pulls out the gift. “Clothes?” His smile gone and a look of confusion replacing it. Clothes weren’t presents to a four year old.

That anxiety was back full force. “It’s a racing driver costume,” she tries to sound excited as she unfolds it.

That changed things. “Mommy! Look what Emma got me!” He excitedly snatches it back off Emma. This wasn’t clothes, it’s a costume, definitely something for him to be excited about. “Can I put it on now? Please, mommy?”

“It’s Emma’s gift, you should ask her.” She had watched Emma’s panic stricken face when Henry was deflated at the thought of clothes so she thought Emma should get to deal with his excitement.

He looks at her with big, pleading eyes. “Sure, and here,” she grabs the cap he hadn’t taken out of the bag, “this is part of the costume,” she says as she places it on his head. She had never seen him look so happy or excited and she was elated that she was the reason behind it. He stepped into the red overall, that had black stripes down the sides then threw himself at Emma. 

“Thank you, Emma. It’s the bestest present ever! I’m going to wear it to Grandma’s tonight. Look mommy, it has racing stripes down it!”

Regina wouldn’t normally let him wear anything but normal clothes for dinner but Emma and Henry were smiling so hard she just couldn't say no.

Henry had decided that the best place to watch the movie from was Emma’s lap, she kept a protective arm around his torso throughout the movie. It was lucky she did because he bounced around on her knees every time a particularly exciting part came on. Regina was plastered against the blondes side with her feet pulled up, Emma’s other arm around her. 

After the movie they had some lunch and seen as the rain hadn’t let up they decided to watch Cars 2, because Emma needed to watch it according to Henry. Near the end of the film, Henry had fallen asleep against Emma’s chest, his little fingers holding onto her shirt. She couldn’t believe how peaceful and calm he was, such a difference from the constantly happy and excitable child she had become used to.

“We should probably put him down for a nap or he’ll be cranky at dinner. Would you mind carrying him to his bed, dear?” She whispered as quietly as she could.

It didn’t escape Emma that Regina had said ‘we’, between that and the little man cradled to her chest, she felt like she was walking on air. She gave a nod, too scared to even whisper, in case she woke him. He barely stirred as they took him to his room and tucked him in.

Quietly closing his bedroom door, Regina whispered to her girlfriend. “Maybe we should take a nap of our own?”

“Sure, I guess we didn’t really sleep much last night.”

Regina gave Emma her signature smirked and raised her eyebrow.

That seemed to make the penny drop. “Oh… oh… dear god yes!” She takes Regina’s hand and practically drags her to the bedroom. As soon as the door is closed Emma’s mouth is claiming the brunettes, her body trapped between a wall and Emma. The blonde cups her face, gently stroking her cheeks with her thumbs as she uses her tongue to convey her affection for her girlfriend. She can’t help but smile into the kiss when she feels Regina sliding her hands under her top to caress her abs, her girlfriends really seems to favour them. Soon the kiss is getting more sloppy and desperate, their affection transformed into a desperate need for one another.

Regina pulls away first, “as much as I love foreplay Emma, there’s no knowing how much time we have and I desperately need you right now.” 

That’s all Emma needs to hear to make her sink to her knees and push the dress up olive thighs, holding it bunched up around her waist as she put her mouth over the damp patch on the silk panties and gave it a kiss, her tongue coming out to get a taste. 

“Please, Emma. I need more!” She demands through clenched teeth.

Without wasting anymore time Emma pulls the panties down and Regina steps out of them. The blonde hikes up the dress once again, and Regina throws her leg over a muscular shoulder as she pulls the blondes head to where she needs it. There’s no teasing or delicate touches, the blonde pushes her tongue inside the wet entrance and begins moving her tongue, licking against the clenching muscles. After a few minutes she pulls back a bit to lick and flick at the sensitive entrance with her tongue. She then places her open mouth over the fluttering hole and sucks at her before plunging her tongue back in as deep as she can.

Regina grinds down against her face, holding the blonde in place so she can push back against the tongue, Emma’s free hand squeezing and fondling her firm ass as Regina pinches her own nipples through the material of her dress. 

“Mmmm…. Emma... yes... eat me, just like that.” It wasn’t really like Regina to talk dirty during sex but she loved it when Emma did it and it seemed to spur the blonde on even more. Her whole body felt tight as if it was about to snap, it was all she could think about as she took what she wanted from Emma.

The blonde brought her hand around to her girlfriends throbbing clit, making a ‘v’ shape with her index and middle finger, she rubbed hard on either side of the sweet bud, gently squeezing it between the two fingers, as she kept moving her tongue inside of her. Moments later she felt Regina’s nails dig into her scalp as the woman herself went rigid and warm squirts of liquid shot into her obliging mouth. The ecstasy surging through the brunettes body felt too much for her, her mouth was open but she couldn’t even scream if she wanted to it. It felt like forever before the feeling subsides and she slumps forward, only the blondes strong arms stopping her from completely toppling over. 

When Emma finishes licking every drop of wetness from her girlfriend, she gently takes the brunettes leg off her shoulder, not letting go of Regina until she was certain she could hold herself up. The Mayor let the wall take most of her weight as she leaned against it.

As soon as Emma stands up she takes Regina in her arms and walks over to lay her on the bed. She pulls off her top, which is soaked around the neckline from her girlfriends release and then uses it to wipe her neck and face, before laying down next to her, holding the brunette against her as her little spoon.

“Did I just…” the question is left hanging in the air.

“You most certainly did, Mayor Mills,” the blonde cheerily replies.

“I’ve never done that before,” her words barely more than a breathless mumble.

“It was amazing,” the blonde enthuses.

She lets Regina rest, not making any demands to quench the burning desire between her own legs. After a couple of minutes the brunette gets other ideas though and pushes her backside against the blondes crotch, giving it a little wiggle. Emma bites her lip and tries desperately not to take advantage of the situation, believing Regina to be making herself comfortable. That is until the brunette pulls her dress up to expose Emma’s favourite part of her body. “Do you need a written invitation, Miss Swan? I may be tired but I will not let you go unsatisfied. I know how much you love my backside, so why don't you use it to relieve yourself.” She knew Emma wouldn't be able to resist the offer.

She was right, Emma quickly strips herself of her skinny jeans and boy shorts, and kneels over the brunette, one olive leg between her own and she lowers herself onto the glorious ass, spreading her sticky lips to expose her wet bud to the firm muscle of her lovers bum. She leans over the brunettes back, holding herself up with her strong arms and begins a slow grind. “Shit, Regina… this feel so good.”

The brunette hums into the pillow, the feeling of Emma’s wetness against her as she ruts into her is incredible. She feels a bit guilty for letting Emma do all the work so she decides to help in another way she know the blonde enjoys. “That’s it Emma, I want to feel you against me. I want to feel your wetness against me.”

That has the blonde speeding up her strokes, she watches where her pussy meets toned flesh, leaving behind a trail of her own essence. The blonde knows from past experience that she could cum quickly like this if she wanted to, but she didn’t want to, not yet. She had fantasised about this many times as she’d brought herself to orgasm in her bed, but the reality was even better and she was going to make it last as long as she could. “You like that, baby? Feeling me against you? You’re so damn beautiful.”

Regina pushes her bum back a bit harder against the blonde, causing her to grunt deeply above her. The bit of extra height the move offers, allows Emma to fall down to her elbows, her body pressed into Regina, hard nipples poking her in the back. The blonde kisses her shoulder and neck and slips her hands under the brunettes chest and hooks around the front of her shoulders, giving her more leverage to pump against her. The Mayor tilts her head to offer more of her neck, Emma latches on, sucking hard at the skin as Regina moans. Emma has unconsciously sped up, her excitement too much to contain. The most beautiful woman she has ever seen, is lying beneath her, gasping and moaning as she encourages her to use her body to rut against, and allowing the blonde to mark her.

“I want to feel your cum against me,” the brunette purrs.

She moves her hips as fast as she can, the firm friction against her clit building until she can’t get any higher and she’s flying off the edge, grunting into the brunettes shoulder as her hips seem to lock and she presses her pelvis against the firm ass, not moving, as she slowly comes down. When the aftershocks have subsided she moves down the brunette, kissing her back as she makes her way lower to clean her own cum from the perky backside, Regina humming her approval. When she’s finished to moves off her and Regina turns to face her, a huge shit eating grin plastered from ear to ear. Emma doesn’t need to ask why, she knows it’s because all Regina needed was her bum and to say a few words to make the blonde cum. 

They share a slow, passionate kiss, the deep heat now extinguished, leaving behind a warm afterglow. “You are crazy sexy, Mayor Mills,” Emma whispers against her lips, whilst looking into smiling brown eyes.

“You’re not so bad yourself, Miss Swan,” she whispers back. “Would you like to join me for a shower, before I have to wake Henry and get him ready?”

“You say shower, I say round two,” she wriggles her eyebrows at the brunette.

“No reason it can’t be both,” she purrs back


	13. Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't unleash Zelena too much in this chapter because of Henry being there, so she is very much a toned down version compared to previous chapters.

Dinner

They are both standing beneath the warm spray, Emma’s arms wrapped around the brunettes torso from behind, her lips and tongue gently soothing the mark on Regina’s neck that she had not long ago made. “I’m sorry I bruised you, again. I got a little lost in the moment.” The blonde apologises.

The shorter woman leans back further into her, “that’s quite alright, dear. I very much enjoyed it, but maybe next time… somewhere a little less noticeable?”

“Good idea. I mean there are plenty of other places I have yet to mark.” She runs her hands up the flat stomach to cup at her breasts, “many other places,” she repeats as she gently caresses the perky flesh to show her point. As she rolls the hard buds between her thumb and finger in each hand, Regina turns her head and reaches behind her, her hands weaving into blonde hair to pull Emma’s mouth down to her own. Their lips tenderly meet and move together, neither of them interested in rushing things along. When she feels like she needs more, Regina turns around in her girlfriends arms, returning her hands to the wet locks at the nape of the blondes neck, lips reconnecting to the thinner pink ones. 

Emma slides her hands down to curvy hips, stroking the soft skin under her fingers. She feels Regina’s tongue tentatively trace her bottom lip and automatically opens her mouth to allow the wet muscle entrance. They deepen the kiss but don’t quicken it, both of them simply enjoying the intimacy of the moment. The brunettes hands begin roving the muscular body of her lover, over her strong shoulders, and down her firm chest where her fingers ghost over her hard nipples. Emma whimpers into her mouth at the feather light touches on her breasts, her own hands reaching around to grope at firm buttocks. Regina sucks the length of Emma’s tongue as she pulls back, her ministrations becoming firmer on the small breasts as her lips move down her throat, placing light kisses all the way to her collarbone where she playfully nips and sucks at the protruding bone as her hands dip lower, fingers mapping out the intersections between each prominent abdominal muscle.

She looks up into sparkling blue eyes when she hears the blonde chuckle, “obsessed much?” She really was, she adored Emma’s body. 

“I could ask you the same thing, dear,” she pushes her bum out, further into the groping hands to prove her point.

“Fair point,” the blonde concedes, “but in my defence you really do have an incredible bum.”

“And in my defence, you really do have incredible abs.” She loves the blush the spreads across her girlfriends high cheek bones. “And…,” she adds as her right hand slipping through tight curls into a different kind of liquid, “I love how wet you get for me.” Her fingers steadily rub up and down through her arousal covered lips. She reaches around for Emma’s right hand and brings it to the apex of her thighs. “Touch me too, darling.”

Emma strokes the length of Regina with her hand, easily discerning the wet heat of her girlfriend from the warm water pouring from the showerhead. She uses her index and ring finger to spread the swollen lips, using her middle finger to circle the quivering entrance. The brunettes head falls to the strong chest as they slowly touch and tease each other. Every time Regina’s fingers would circle around the blondes clit, not touching it, Emma would pull back from her lovers entrance. 

They continued to build each other up slowly, the brunette sucking at the pale skin of her girlfriends neck, as she strokes her abs. Emma’s left hand was now cradling Regina’s head between her own neck and shoulder. The more they built each other up, the more incessant and demanding their fingers became. 

When Emma could feel in the pit of her stomach that she wouldn’t be too much longer, she sunk her fingers fully into Regina and used her thumb to rub over the needy nub. Regina focussed more on the blondes clit, strumming it as she bent her head further to suck on a nipple. 

“Oh…yes… that’s how I like it, baby,” the blonde moaned into the top of the brunettes head. 

The brunettes response was to hum around the nipple and suck harder, as her swollen walls clutched tighter around the intruding fingers. 

Emma reaches between them and kneads at one of Regina’s breasts, flicking her thumb faster over her clit. “I’m so close. Don’t stop, baby.”

The brunette is a second ahead of the blonde as she tightens around her fingers and groans into the breast in her mouth as Emma then stiffens up, her head falling back against the shower wall, their orgasms overtaking them as they pique almost simultaneously.

They weren’t strong, earth shattering, toe curling orgasms for either woman, but a tender show of affection towards each other. Although, both of them quietly thought to themselves that it was more than just affection.

As their euphoric state wears off, Emma slowly removes her fingers from the warmth of Regina, the shower spray rinsing them clean as she wraps her arms around her lover. “You okay, beautiful?” She whispered into dark, drenched locks.

Lifting her head up to look into eyes that shone with so much more than Emma had verbally expressed, she smiled happily and nodded her head. “Mmm, more than okay.” She strokes her hands over Emma’s thighs and lays her head back down against the blondes chest.

Emma tilts the showerhead away from them and grabs the shampoo to lather up Regina’s hair before doing the same to her own. Gentle kisses and tender caresses continue as they wash themselves before getting out. 

XXXXXXXX

 

Regina was wearing a sleeveless, navy blue dress that stopped just above her knees, black heels and a pearl necklace. Her hair and makeup done to perfection. When she was almost finished getting ready she woke Henry up, she never usually let him nap this long and she hoped she wouldn’t be paying the price for it later when it was his bedtime. All the excitement of meeting Emma had worn him out and he was still sleepy until Regina told him that Emma was waiting for him downstairs. He jumped up, still wearing his racing driver costume that he had fallen asleep in, and made his way to his best friend as quickly as he could without actually running, he would definitely get a telling off from his mom is he ran down the stairs.

Emma had gotten ready in the main bathroom, so as to not crowd Regina when she was getting ready. She was finished before Regina so she waited in the living room and decided to reply back to a few texts she had received from Ruby that day. They were texting back and forth until she heard Henry making his way down the stairs. She told Ruby she had to go, kept her phone in her pocket, then played and chatted with Henry until Regina was ready.

Regina was speechless when she entered the living room and saw what Emma was wearing. Black slacks, white shirt and slim black tie, and a black dinner jacket. If that wasn’t enough to send Regina’s heartrate rocketing, her beautiful hair was put into a side braid and she was wearing a light layer of makeup. 

“Wow, that dress looks fantastic on you.” Emma gushes when she lays eyes on her girlfriend. The blonde wasn’t sure what to make of the brunette standing stock still, not saying a word. “Is this okay?” She anxiously asked as she looked down at herself, thinking that Regina’s lack of speech was due to her outfit. She had wondered whether or not it was appropriate for meeting Regina’s mother or if it made her look too butch.

“You look simply stunning, Emma.” Was the honest answer. 

“What about me, mommy?” Henry’s excited voice snapped her out of her reverie and she bent down to kiss him on top of his racing cap. “You look like the best racing driver ever,” she proclaimed to his delight.

“I’m going to get my bestest car to take to Grandma’s,” he declared before walking out of the room to find it. His ‘bestest’ car changed from day to day.

Regina stepped into Emma’s personal space, “absolutely exquisite,” she stated as she ran a hand down Emma’s tie.

“It’s not too much?” The blonde self-consciously asked.

“It’s a bit too much for my blood pressure, but otherwise it is absolutely perfect.”

Emma laughed and gave Regina a chaste kiss. The brunette cupped her face and possessively kissed her, leaving Emma without a single shred of doubt that Regina very much did approve of her attire.

“Mommy?” Henry’s quiet, questioning voice came from behind her. Neither of them had heard him come back into the room, both of them too wrapped up in each other.

Emma immediately froze. Regina had reassured her many times, when they had spoken about it, that Henry would be okay with it but she still worried that she could lose this all. It all depended on how Henry handled this.

Regina turned around and kneeled down in front of the confused looking boy. He was looking between his mom and up at Emma, “why did you kiss my mommy?”

Emma stuttered a little, unable to form a coherent thought, let alone a coherent sentence.

Regina took her sons little hands in her own, “sweetheart,” he looked back at her then, “Emma is mommy’s girlfriend. Do you know what that means?” She had never had the need to explain to her son that some girls liked girls, and that she was one of them.

“But you are both girls.”

“Yes, sweetheart. Sometimes girls like girls and sometimes boys like boys, and that’s okay.”

“Okay,” he happily replied. His innocent mind didn’t need to know more than that. His mom liked girls and so did Emma, and they liked each other. 

“Do you have any questions, sweetheart?” She wanted to make sure he understood properly.

“Are you going to get married? Am I going to have two mommies?”

Emma knew what she wanted to say to that, she also knew it was way too early in their relationship to voice such thoughts.

Regina chuckled because she could tell he sounded quite eager. She had said all along that she was going to be honest with him so she does just that. “It is a bit early to know any of that but I like Emma a lot.”

Emma smiled cautiously from where she was standing.

“I like Emma, too!” He agreed.

Her smile grew exponentially but she still didn’t move.

Regina looks behind her at the happy but still nervous looking blonde. Picking up Henry and stage whispering to him, “shall we give her a hug to show her how much we like her?”

“Yeah,” he cheers.

When they were within a foot of Emma, Henry sticks his arms out to her and she takes him from Regina, holding him tight.

“I like you the bestest Emma, after mommy though.” He clarified. 

Regina joined them in the hug, Emma immediately pulling her in and squeezing her eyes shut to try and stop the happy tears she could feel coming. 

“Go get your shoes on Henry, we are going to Grandma’s now.” Regina says as she takes him from Emma and places him on the floor. He happily scampers off and the brunette gives Emma another kiss.

“I told you everything would be fine, Emma.”

“He’s an amazing kid. He’s so lucky that you adopted him. You are an amazing family.” She kisses the brunettes temple. “We should probably go. I need to pick up some flowers on the way and I don’t want to be late.”

“I’ve told you, Emma, we don’t need to pick up flowers, we are just going to my mother’s for dinner.”

“I’m meeting your mom for the first time, there’s no way I’m turning up empty handed.”

“Okay, whatever makes you more comfortable, sweetheart.”

As the rain had stopped long ago and the sky was clear, they decided to walk the ten minutes to her mother’s house, picking up a bouquet of flowers along the way.

XXXXXXXXX 

Once they entered the gate to Cora’s garden, Henry ran straight to the door and let himself in, calling out for his grandma as he entered her home. 

Regina could feel Emma’s hand getting clammy, so she stops and turns to the blonde before they reach the porch. “Are you ok?”

She rubs the back of her neck, a nervous habit, Regina had noticed. “I’ve never been invited to meet anyone’s parents before, I’m not sure how to act. I don’t want to mess this up.”

It warms Regina’s heart to know her girlfriend is nervous about meeting her mother. “Sweetheart,” she places her hands on the blondes slender waist, “you don’t have to act, just be your wonderful self and my mother will love you.”

Emma opens her mouth to respond but before she can they are startled by a catcall whistle. “Alright, blondie? Missed me?”

Regina feels Emma stiffen under her hands. “Zelena? What are you doing here? I thought you had a date tonight?”

The red head walks towards them. “I cancelled it when mother let slip about this little rendez vous. I don’t know why you didn’t tell me that muscles here, would be coming over.” She runs her hand down the blondes arm, knowing that it will put the blonde on edge and make her sister jealous. “Are those for me?” She asks the blonde, before she plucks the bouquet of white lilies from the blondes hands.

Regina snatches them from her sister. “If you are staying for dinner, you’d better behave yourself.” She sternly warns.

The red head grins wickedly and steps between them both, flinging an arm over each of their shoulders. “Dear naïve sister, we both know that isn’t going to happen.” She chuckles as she starts walking them both to the door.

Emma has been looking at the ground throughout their entire interaction, Zelena being there just made this a whole lot harder for her. She knows she won’t be having an easy time but she would do this a thousand times over for Regina.

“Mother, we have guests.” Zelena shouts as they enter the hallway.

Regina takes her lovers hand, squeezing it gently and giving her a small smile before guiding her through to the kitchen where she can hear Henry telling his grandma all about his racing driver costume, as Cora sets the table.

“Hello, mother.” Regina greets as they enter the kitchen.

“Hello, darling.” She places the last of the cutlery down and moves from the table over to both of the women. “You must be Emma, I’m very happy to meet you, dear.” 

“Hello, Mrs Mills, thank you for inviting me over.” She says as she holds her hand out for the older Mills.

Regina passes the flowers to Cora. “Emma got these for you, mother.”

“They are beautiful, thank you.” She takes the bouquet and breathes in the scent. “And please call me Cora,” she adds as she takes Emma’s hand in a firm but gentle clasp, offering her a warm smile.

“Where did you pick these flowers?” Zelena teasingly asks the blonde as she enters the kitchen.

Emma flushes bright red as she remembers the date night she had with Regina back at her work and how even though Regina seemed to really like the flowers, she still felt guilty that she had picked and not bought the flowers she had given the brunette.

“Pay no attention to Zelena,” Cora intervenes, “I tune her out so she becomes white noise,” she adds with a wink and a gentle smile. Regina had told her mother that Emma can be a bit shy and Cora knows that Zelena will take full advantage of that to tease her.

Emma smiles at the small show of solidarity she receives from Cora and it settles her a bit. Regina gives her sister a cocky smile and in return Zelena gives her the finger, making sure that her nephew doesn’t see her do it. Their mother rolls her eyes at their adolescent behaviour, which she knew to expect, given her years of dealing with it.

Henry calls Emma over to sit with him and play with his car as Cora goes about getting everyone a drink. Regina is touched that her mother had bought beer specially for Emma, as it was never something the older Mills would drink. She knew Zelena must have told their mother that it was Emma’s drink of choice, because she certainly hadn’t told her.

The brunette sits next to Emma, Zelena and Cora sit on the opposite side of the table. They chat for a little while until the timer on the oven beeps and Cora starts serving up their dinner of mushroom wellington, served with roasted vegetables. 

Cora quietly observes how happy and relaxed Regina looks and how wonderful and attentive Emma is with Henry. The blonde is incredibly patient with him, listening to everything he has to say, as always, and helping him cut his food when he looks to be struggling. She had never seen her youngest daughter look so at peace and in that moment she is eternally grateful for Emma Swan.

Even Zelena couldn’t bring herself to tease Emma after seeing how the blonde would lovingly look into Regina’s eyes and hang on every word she said as if it was gospel. This was exactly what she had wanted for her sister for years and she wasn’t going to mess with it, no matter how much she loved teasing the blonde.

Emma completely relaxed as the evening wore on. She felt safe, seated between her two favourite people in the whole world. Cora was so sweet and accepting and even Zelena was being nice to her. The conversation flowed easily, and the stories Cora told of her daughters growing up had the blonde laughing in a way she hadn’t laughed in a long time.

For dessert Cora serves up churros and chocolate sauce, one of Henry’s favourite. When he sees them appear at the table he licks his lips and rubs his tummy animatedly. “Emma, you will love these. Grandma makes the best ones.” He assures her.

“Mmm, they smell wonderful. Can I have yours too?” She teasingly asks.

All three women fondly watch their interaction, the pair of them seemingly unaware of anyone else around them as Emma suggests she should have them all because she’s the guest and Henry argues back that he can’t share his because he’s a growing boy and needs to eat all of them. His mother had used that line on him on the rare occasion he had refused to eat his vegetables. 

“You can have some of mommy’s.” He suggests whilst giggling, unwilling to give up such a delicious treat.

“No chance.” Regina tells Emma as she dips one in the sauce before taking a bite. Emma was mesmerised by the way her lips sealed around the fried dough as she bit off a small piece. That should not have turned her on the way it did, especially whilst sitting at a table surrounded by the brunettes family.

They all began to eat slowly, savouring the dessert, with the exception of Henry who wolfs his down. He normally wouldn’t have been allowed to eat that quickly but Regina was happily chatting away to the other women. In her periphery vision Emma could see Henry leaning in a bit closer, his eyes glued to her plate and his little tongue sticking out as he concentrated on her food. A small smile spreads across her face, the kid was too damn cute. She picked up one of the sugary sticks, dipped it into the sauce and passed it to her favourite little boy, with a wink. His face lit up and he looked at her with disbelief in his eyes. 

“Thanks, Emma!” He excitedly gasped, as if she had just given him the world.

Regina gave her girlfriends hand a squeeze and lovingly looked at her, appreciating the small gesture to her son immensely. Cora and Zelena grinned at each other, sharing a look that suggested they both knew life had finally turned a corner for Regina.

After dessert they moved to the living room to have another drink as Henry happily played on the floor with his car. Emma couldn’t believe how one small toy could keep a child entertained for so long. Regina sat on the couch next to Emma, curling into her side as the blonde wrapped an arm around her and kissed her temple. The brunette hummed in contentment as she snuggled into her girlfriend.

“Mother, do you have a bucket?” Zelena asks seriously.

“Why, darling?” Cora asks in confusion.

“Because these too are more effective at emptying stomachs than a dose of ipecac.” She states before adding a gagging noise. The older woman shakes her head, a smile gracing her lips.

Emma’s cheeks heat up a little but Regina just snuggles further into her, not bothered by her sisters words.

Almost an hour later, Henry climbs onto the couch and to his mother, releasing a giant yawn and rubbing his eyes. Even though he’d had a long nap earlier, the excitement of the day and meeting Emma had finally caught up with him and he was ready for a good nights sleep. He holds around his mothers neck and buries his face into her shoulder. Her hands rest on his back, holding him too her and Emma runs a hand through his hair. To an outsider they looked like the perfect, happy family and that’s exactly how it felt to both women, even if neither of the women were ready to admit it. 

Once Henry began to lightly snore they decided to call it a night, Emma went to fetch their coats and after putting on her own she then helped slip Henry into his without walking him. Regina then passed her sleeping son to Emma her so she could put her coat on.

After a round of goodbyes the women started off on their walk home, Henry securely held to Emma’s torso as Regina slipped her smaller hand into Emma’s slightly larger one.


	14. Hard Goodbyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More fluff as Emma and Henry bond even more.

Back at the mansion Regina was trying to put pyjamas on a very grumpy and very sleepy little man. When she eventually got him changed and tucked in bed, she gave him a kiss on his forehead as Emma hovered in the background. She didn’t want to interfere with their routine but she didn’t want to miss it either. 

 

“M’ma.” The tired little boy sleepily mumbled, his eyes already closed.

 

“You want Emma?” Regina deduced from his mumbles.

 

He gave the smallest of nods that Regina wouldn’t have noticed if she hadn’t been staring at her little boy so adoringly.

 

“Come here, Emma,” she whispered towards the blonde, “he wants you to say goodnight.”

 

Emma creeps forward, not wanting to make noise and disturb the tranquillity of the nightly ritual. She looks to Regina for guidance on what to do, not sure if it was appropriate to give the little a guy a kiss. Regina smiles at her in a way that says she knows what the blondes thinking and that it’s okay. So Emma leans down and strokes his hair as she gives him a kiss on the temple.

 

“Sweet dreams, little man.” She whispers to the kid that had taken over her heart in a matter of weeks.

 

Regina watches from the other side of his bed with a smile on her face, still in awe of how quickly the two had become attached to each other. When Emma straightens up and smiles at her she feels like she won’t be able to contain her happiness, it’s too much for her. She nods towards the door, signalling for the blonde to follow her as she quietly creeps out of the room, leaving Henry’s night light on for him. 

 

Once outside the room Regina turned to Emma. “Hey.” The brunette purrs, as she wraps her hands loosely around the back of Emma’s neck.

 

“Hey, beautiful.” The blonde replies with a slanted smile, in the cute shy way the brunette loves. Her hands gently grabbing onto curvy hips and pulling the smaller woman against her.

 

“Ready to go to bed?” Regina smirks.

 

Emma nods her head frantically in anticipation of what was to come.

 

The Mayor runs a hand over a muscular shoulder and down her chest where she lightly tugs on the blondes tie and walks backwards to her bedroom, pulling the blonde with her. Emma closes the door behind them and allows her girlfriend to pull her towards the bed. The back of Regina’s legs hit the side of the bed, causing her to fall back onto it, guiding Emma on top of her as she does, petite hands climbing their way up the tie as she pulls the blondes lips closer.

 

Emma hovers above her seductive girlfriend, her hands holding her weight, and a loving smile on her face. She has a second to take in her beautiful girlfriend before the last inch of her tie is claimed and their lips meet softly. This is the first time they’ve been together without any time constraints or the desperation of their time apart weighing on their shoulders, and Emma is going to make the most of it.

 

She resists the slight urgency Regina kisses her with, slowing her down by pulling back a bit until their lips are merely brushing. In a show of strength that the smaller woman always enjoys, Emma let’s all her weight rest on one hand as the places the other on a soft cheek, her thumb gently stroking the brunettes plump lower lip. Her eyes are drawn from where her pale digit meets crimson lips, to the deep, warm brown of Regina’s eyes.

 

“Hey.” She whispers, her ministrations not ceasing.

 

“Hey yourself.” Regina whispers back before her tongue dips out to give a light lick of the thumb at her lips. Emma’s eyes move back down in time to see her thumb being engulfed by those enchanting lips that proceed to suck on it. Emma swears she can feel it as if those lips were sealed around her clit and the tip of her tongue was flicking over it. That was the optimum reminder that she needed to get them both undressed as soon as possible, then they could take it slow.

 

Sitting up as Regina releases her thumb, she removes her jacket and starts on her tie. But Regina sits up too and brushes her hands away so she can undo the tie.

 

“Let me.” She says with a smirk as she loosens the knot and undoes it completely. 

 

Emma looks down as Regina pulls the length of material from under one side of the collar on her crisp white shirt. She drops it on the bed and looks back up to Emma as she begins working the buttons on the shirt, the blonde reaches around and pulls down the zipper on the back of the brunettes dress. 

 

Once all the buttons have been undone she pulls at the material where it is tucked into her pants before pushing it down strong shoulders, revealing the muscular torso she adores. She’s pleasantly surprised to see that Emma is not wearing a sports bra for a change, her small breasts encased in plain black cotton cups, the simplicity of it was so Emma.

 

The blonde slips a hand under her girlfriends dress, her arm cradling the back of her thighs until she is able to pick the brunette a few inches off the bed, her other hand pulling the dress up olive hips until she can pull it over her body and shoulders entirely. She lowers her lover back on the bed until she is laying down in front of her, so she can take in the all the smooth flesh that is not covered by the navy panties and strapless bra that Regina is still wearing. 

 

“Pants off, Miss Swan.” The brunette requests with a smile. The blonde was only to happy to oblige, falling forward over the brunette again. One hand working her pants loose so she can shimmy out of them. “Mmm, much better.” She purrs as she grips onto thin hips to pull her down against her own body, Emma slipping a leg between Regina’s as she lowers to her forearms, their clothed centres pressed together, radiating wanton heat.

 

The blonde nudges her nose against Regina’s in a show of intimacy she knows makes her girl smile. Slipping her hands under the blondes cotton panties to grope her bum and hold her closer, she lifts her hips as much as possible in the very little space there is to rub herself against the blonde above her. “Kiss me, Emma.” She breathlessly demands.

 

Emma does just that, their mouths not separating for even moment, as they rid each other of their underwear, neither of them feeling like they can ever be close enough. They work up a rhythm together, their cores nor mouths separating as they built each other up into a physical bliss that neither had ever felt so intensely with anyone else before. They didn’t stop until their bodies were begging for rest from the pleasure they kept bringing to each other over and over.

 

XXXXXXXX

 

The next morning Emma wakes to an empty bed, the space beside her cold and very empty. She lifts her head and listens out for any noise from the en suite. There’s nothing so she sits up and checks her phone. It’s just gone eight, she wishes she could have woken up with Regina but she soon gets over that when she realises Henry will most definitely be awake too. She grabs some clean underwear and goes to brush her teeth before returning to the bedroom and throwing on some sweatpants and a vest.

 

With every step she takes downstairs, the more clearly she can hear Henry chatting away. He was trying to convince his mom that today would be a good day to go indoor jungle gym in town.

 

Regina normally didn’t mind going, she could leave Henry to go play with the other children as she had a coffee and read the paper. It was as relaxing to her as it was fun to him, but she was trying to convince him that she would take him there another time. She felt guilty about trying to divert him from the idea, but she didn’t think it was fair either that Emma had driven all this way, only to sit inside a usually noisy hall full of hyperactive children.

 

“I think maybe it would be better if we went for a walk in the forest, we could take a picnic! I’m sure Emma doesn’t want to be stuck inside all day.” Emma had told her many times how she loved being outside, come rain or shine.

 

The blonde crept to the kitchen doorway and put her finger to her lips when Regina noticed her, from where she was at the stove making scrambled eggs. Henry’s back was to the doorway so he had no idea she was there. Regina made sure to drop the smile from her face as soon as it made an appearance, so as to not let on to Henry that Emma was there.

 

“But Mommy, I think Emma will like the jungle gym. It has slides ,and ball pits, and ice cream!” He voice got more and more excited as he reeled off the things that he loved about it.

 

Emma slowly and quietly crept up behind him and just as he was about the name more great things about the jungle gym, she grabbed him from the chair and tickled him with one hand as she securely held him to her, with the other.

 

“The jungle gym sounds like a great idea!” She said when she stopped tickling him.

 

“See mommy!” He exclaimed from Emma’s arms, his little ones wrapped around her neck.

 

Regina stood there watching them, still unable to believe how quickly her life seemed to be changing. Her smile matched theirs as she agreed they could go after breakfast. Emma put Henry back in his chair and made her way over to her girlfriend who was wearing a matching satin pyjama pants set. 

 

“Good morning, beautiful.” She whispered into her ear as she kissed a tanned cheek.

 

“Good morning, sweetheart.” The brunette purred as she gave Emma a kiss on the lips.

 

Emma immediately looked at Henry who was playing with one of his cars on the table, oblivious to their kiss.

 

“Stop worrying. It’s fine.” She reprimands her lover.

 

“Yeah, sorry,” she looks back at the brunette, “so I missed not waking up with you.”

 

“I woke up and you were still naked so I though I’d better get up in case Henry decided to barge in again.”

 

“If someone hadn’t of worn me out last night I may have had the strength to put some clothes on before falling asleep.” This time the blonde initiates the kiss, she doesn’t want to risk deepening it but she can’t seem to pry her lips away from the plumper ones she adores.

 

“Mmm, Miss Swan, how about you take a seat and let me serve breakfast so we can build up this strength you seem to have used up last night.” She winks at the blonde before dropping some bread into the toaster and grabbing a coffee cup for the woman.

 

Emma fills her cup from the coffee pot and joins Henry at the table, asking him all about this incredible jungle gym, which of course, he is more than happy to talk about. Regina goes about setting the table, smiling to herself at their interactions. Not for the first time she was silently thanking Kathryn and her sister for interfering in her life and making this happen.

 

Once they had finished their breakfast of toast and scrambled egg, they all went upstairs to get dressed for the day. Regina had had to convince Henry that his racing driver costume would get too warm for him in the jungle gym, he reluctantly agreed not to wear it when Emma said she was going to be wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

 

“I have jeans! And I have t-shirts!” He exclaimed, now happy that he could dress like Emma.

 

“That’s awesome. Let’s see who can get dress the quickest, and the last one back here is the loser.” Before she could finish her sentence he flew into his room, determined not to be the loser.

 

Regina had told her plenty of times that he could be a dawdler when it came to getting ready, he would go through all his clothes, making a huge mess in the process. She hoped that this would make him quick and less messy.

 

She quickly walked in front of Regina as she made her way to the master bedroom. “I might not beat Henry, but I’m going to beat you.” She says over her shoulder as she all but runs into the room.

 

Regina shakes her head, the smile that now seems to live on her lips, growing even wider.

 

Emma strips off her vest and sweat pants as Regina calmly walks to the en suite to get ready. She squeezes herself into her jeans and a tight fitting black, v-neck tee before making her way out of the door to the hallway, just in time to see Henry rush out of his room.

 

“You’re the loser,” he giggles.

 

“I’m not the last here, your mom is. So she’s the loser.”

 

“I heard that.” Regina shouts from the bedroom. Henry giggles some more and Emma mouths ‘oops’ before walking to Henry throwing him over her shoulder, fireman style, and making her way downstairs. His childish giggles filling her heart.

 

When Regina is finally ready and making her way downstairs, she can hear her son’s laughter filling every nook and cranny of her home. She walks into the living room to find Emma holding Henry by his ankles and he’s hanging down behind her back.

 

“Henry, where are you?” The blonde calls out.

 

“I’m here, Emma.” He answers between bouts of laughter.

 

“Where?” She seriously asks. 

 

“Behind you.” His cheeks are red from all of his laughing.

 

Emma spins around. “No you’re not.”

 

Regina never wants this to end. Henry has always been a happy child but she has never heard him laugh as much as he has in the last twenty four hours, and she has never felt strong emotions towards anyone before, it almost overwhelms her.

 

“Mommy, tell her I’m here.” He says when he spots his mother. 

 

His breathing sounds ragged from all the laughing so Emma decides it’s probably enough for now. She stretches out her bent arms, pulling him from behind her so he’s now dangling above her.

 

“Oh, there you are. What are you doing there?” She manoeuvres him so she’s holding him in her arms properly. 

 

“I didn’t do it, Emma. You did.” His laughter and breathing now calming down, but his smile just as big as it had been all morning.

 

She smiled at him and kissed his cheek. “How about we go to the jungle gym now?”

 

“Yay.” He cheered.

 

After locking the front door, Regina took Emma’s hand in her own as they made the very short walk down the garden path to her car, Henry talking about how many times he’s going to go on his favourite slide at the jungle gym.

 

Once they arrive at the indoor jungle gym Henry takes Emma’s hand so he can show her all of his favourite things.

 

Regina points to an empty table at the front and tells Emma she’ll be sitting there. Fifteen minutes later, Henry’s tour of the jungle gym ended when he saw some of his friends. He wanted her to meet his friends but she really didn’t want to be the creepy adult sitting in the ball pit, surrounded by children so she made an excuse about needing a drink and went to find Regina, who was sitting exactly where she said she would be.

 

Emma takes a seat next to her, both of them facing the main play areas so they can keep an eye on Henry.

 

“You are so amazing with him.” The brunette gushes as she looks towards her lover.

 

Emma blushes a little. “He’s easy to get along with.” She replies nonchalantly.

 

“He is, but he’s never connected so quickly with anyone else before.”

 

“I’m really glad he has because I was worried what would happen with us if he didn’t like me.” She looks down nervously at her confession.

 

Regina leans in to kiss her too-good-to-be-true girlfriend. “It’s impossible not to like you, Emma.” The brunette says it with so much sincerity that the blonde doesn’t have the heart to tell her that the many families that had passed her over for adoption would disagree with her. Instead she smiles, just happy in the knowledge that Regina and Henry like her.

 

XXXXXXXX

 

Later that day and Emma is helping Regina in the kitchen by chopping some vegetables for their dinner, as Henry watches cartoons in the living room. Regina had insisted on cooking her something decent before she had to make the long car journey home. They’d had lunch at Granny’s after leaving the jungle gym centre but Regina didn’t class that as wholesome and delicious, which is what she was promising Emma for dinner.

 

“I’m going to miss you.” The blonde almost whispers, not taking her eyes off the vegetables she’s preparing. 

 

Regina finishes putting the tray of salmon in the oven then moves to stand next to Emma, leaning against the counter top so she can look at her girlfriend. “I’m going to miss you too, darling.”

 

“Is it still okay if I come back next Friday?” She bites her lip in anxious anticipation, hoping that this weekend hadn’t changed Regina’s mind, no one ever stuck with her for long.

 

“Of course, as long as you don’t mind all the driving.”

 

Emma’s smile returns to her face as she happily nods her head. “I’d drive a lot further to spend the weekend with you two.”

 

The brunette leans in to give her girlfriend a chaste kiss on the cheek. “You, Miss Swan, are the sweetest person I have ever met, I’m not sure what I’ve done to deserve you”

 

Her cheeks redden and she shrugs her shoulders. Regina can’t help but feel a bit saddened at Emma’s shyness when it comes to anything nice being said about her. Everything she learnt about the blondes life through their Skype chats had broken her heart a little bit. She knew Emma hadn’t received much love or attention as a child growing up in a children’s home or with the odd foster family that always ended up giving her back. Her adulthood hadn’t faired much better, getting mistreated by every woman she’d opened up to in some way. She wanted to promise the world to the blonde in that moment, instead she offered her a drink.

 

“A beer would be good, please.”

 

She uncapped a bottle of beer before passing it to the blonde, then poured a glass of wine for herself before helping her finish up with the vegetables.

 

After they’d all finished their dinner, Emma insisted on doing the dishes so Regina could bathe Henry and get him ready for bed. Once she had finished tidying up the kitchen she made her way upstairs to join her two favourite people before she had to set out on her journey home, if she left soon she would probably be home just after midnight.

 

She pops her head into the bathroom where the sounds of splashing and laughing could be heard. Regina was holding a small compact mirror in front of Henry so he could see the bubble mohawk she had created on his head.

 

“Look at you, cool dude.” 

 

“Mommy says I’m a rock.”

 

“No, sweetheart, a rocker.” She corrects him.

 

“A rocker!” He shouts before splashing a boat along the surface of the water. Bath time was the only time he played with anything but cars.

 

“I’m going to get my stuff together so I can leave soon.” 

 

Regina puts on a small, fake smile that Emma can see through. “Okay, sweetheart.”

 

Emma has almost finished folding her clothes and placing them in her holdall when she hears little footsteps entering the bedroom. She realised that folding her clothes was just a way to stall because they were going to need to be washed when she got home, so there really was no need for her to do it. With Henry standing in front of her she knew she was stalling because she wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him or his mother.

 

“What you doing, Emma?” He says looking at her bag, a soft white towel wrapped around him.

 

“I’m packing my stuff to go home.”

 

“You’re not staying?” A shiny wetness begins to grow in his eyes.

 

“Hey buddy, come here.” She holds out her arms from her position on the edge of the bed and when he runs towards her she lifts him up and holds him to her, his face instantly burying in her neck.

 

“I have to go home so I can go to work.” She whispers as she cradles his head. When she feels his tears on her shoulder it takes everything in her not to cry too. 

 

“What’s going on?” Regina asks as she enters the room. Emma’s pained expression and Henry’s gently sobbing putting her on alert.

 

“I don’t… want… Emma… to go.” He says between sobs.

 

“I’ll be back next weekend, kid” She tries to pacify him.

 

Regina sits next to Emma so she can rub his back and wrap an arm around her, the blonde looked like she needed comforting too. “Remember what I told you, Henry. Emma can only stay for the weekend because she has to go home to where she works and lives.”

 

“But I don’t want her too.” His voice weak as he tries to control his crying.

 

Emma moves him from her neck so he’s sitting on her lap and she can look at him. His head is bowed and his shoulders slumped. She lifts his chin so she can look at him, his tear streaked face constricts her heart.

 

“I don’t want to go either but I have to. How about we read a bedtime story together? Then tomorrow night we can talk on the computer, and every night until I come back, if you want?” She wipes at his tears, not wanting to see the evidence of the pain she is inadvertently causing him.

 

“You promise you’ll come back?” His face half unbelieving but half hopeful at the same time.

 

“I promise.” She firmly states. “And maybe we can go swimming?” She didn’t want to suggest things without checking with Regina first but she felt like she had to offer him something to focus on so he wouldn’t be so upset. If he cried anymore she thought she might just offer to quit her job and stay there so they could see each other every day.

 

His little face lit up. “Can we go swimming next weekend, Mommy? I can show Emma how good I am.”

 

“I think that sounds like a great idea!” She enthusiastically replied, glad his tears were forgotten about. “Why don’t you go put on your pyjamas that I’ve put on your bed and pick out a book?”

 

“Okay!” Emma places him on the floor so he can go to his room and get ready.

 

Once he’s gone Regina looks at Emma. “Although I appreciate it, you didn’t have to do that, you’re going to be late getting home as it is, you’ll be tired tomorrow.”

 

“What’s an extra hour to make him happy?” She questions as she leans against the brunette. “I hate that I made him cry.” She adds with a shaky breath.

 

“That’s not your fault, darling. It just shows how much he likes you already. It’s a good thing.”

 

“It doesn’t feel good.” She says sadly.

 

“I know, but he’ll get use to it. We all have to if we are going to make this work.”

 

“You’re right.” She pulls the brunette in her arms and kisses the top of her head.

 

“We have already established that I am always right, Miss Swan.” The blonde chuckles, appreciating Regina’s effort to lighten the mood. “And I’m not too sure how to feel about you making promises to my son just as an excuse to see me in a bikini.” She teases as she pulls back to look at the blonde, her usual smirk in place.

 

“That’s not true… much.” She shyly replies, causing both of them to smile.

 

Once Henry had fallen asleep after reading him a story, both woman made their way downstairs, neither of them ready to say goodbye but knowing that had to be responsible adults no matter how much they wanted to forget the rest of world and climb into bed together. 

 

“It’s only five days, darling. It will fly by.” Emma nodded, but neither of them believed it.

 

With a final kiss and promises of Emma texting her as soon as she got home, the blonde walked down the garden path, her holdall flung over her shoulder. At the gate she took one last look at Regina before making her way to her car. She had no idea it would hurt this much to say goodbye to the Mills family, but she could handle the hurt because it meant that something special was happening between them. Something she had never felt before, something she had never expected to feel.


	15. The better kisser.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma, Regina, and Henry spend some more quality time together.

"EMMAAAAAA!" Shouted the excited four year old when the blondes face popped up on the screen.

 

"Hey, Buddy." She greeted in return. It had been less than twenty four hours since she said goodbye to them but she had missed them so much. She found herself daydreaming about them in work that day. Having met Henry had changed everything for her. She was no longer in doubt of her relationship with Regina, she had met Henry and he liked her and he didn't care that she was dating his mother. Apart from the distance there were no obstacles between them anymore. "Hey, beautiful." She then greeted her girlfriend as their eyes met through the screen.

 

"Hello, darling. We've missed you." Regina answered, her own smile matching that of her sons and her girlfriends.

 

"I've missed you guys too. How was school, Henry?" She and Regina would catch up later, right now she had to focus on Henry. She was hoping he had forgotten about last night and how she had inadvertently made him cry. Regina had reassured her by text earlier in the day that he had forgotten all about that and how he had only chatted about swimming throughout breakfast. The blonde believed her but she needed to see it for herself, and listening to Henry talk about his day put her mind at ease.

 

After Regina had managed to get Henry to bed she text Emma to ask her to re-join her on Skype and that was the pattern for the week, Emma and Henry would chat after dinner until he had to go to bed and then Regina and the blonde would chat until it was time for them to go to sleep. 

 

XXXXXX

 

As soon as she finished her last session of the day on Friday, the blonde jumped in her car and headed straight to Storybrooke full of excitement at being with her two favourite people again. She had packed her weekend bag the night before and put it in her car that morning so she didn’t have to waste any time going home first, she had also snuck in a little present she had picked up for Henry during the week. Upon arrival at Regina’s she was met with the same eagerness from the brunette as the week prior.

 

"Five days is way too long to be away from you." The blonde gushes when she finally pried her lips from Regina's.

 

"I couldn't agree more, dear. How about we go upstairs and we can make up for the last five days?" The brunette purrs against pink lips. Emma gives a small nod and takes the brunettes hand in a rush to get her girlfriend into bed. They make their way upstairs with hushed giggles, unable to keep their hands off one another.

 

As soon as they quietly close the bedroom door behind themselves they start stripping each other, only separating their lips when they have to pull their tops off. They tumble onto the bed as their want for each other overtakes them, their hands having free range over each other’s bodies in desperate need.

 

Emma wants to take her time and appreciate her lover but her need to have Regina in her mouth is too great. She slides off the side of the bed onto her knees, pulling tanned hips with her as she does so, placing the legs over her shoulders she begins to devour the woman on offer in front of her as she had been dreaming of for the last five days.

 

XXXXXXXX

 

"Psst. Psssst... wake up." She whispers the words to gently wake him up as she rubs his back. 

 

His eyes slowly open and it takes him a few seconds to become aware of who it is that's waking him up. "Emma?" He questions.

 

"Yeah, buddy it's me."

 

"Emma!" His sleepy voice is brimming with joy as the full realisation hits him. "I missed you." He says as he climbs from under his duvet and into her arms.

 

"I missed you too." She whispers into the top of his head as she holds him against her. 

 

After she had made Regina see stars and the brunette had had to practically drag her by her hair from between her legs, they further made up for their five day separation until their lips were sore from kissing and their bodies spent with satisfaction. The brunette had almost immediately fallen asleep against the blondes side with her thigh thrown over Emma's legs, after putting on panties and one of Emma’s tees, but the blonde couldn't fall asleep, she was too excited too about seeing Henry again. After laying awake for almost two hours she managed to carefully disentangle herself from the brunettes limbs so that she could grab a quick shower and go wake up Henry. 

 

"Are we going swimming now?" He excitedly asks, not having forgotten her promise from the previous weekend.

 

She can't help but laugh at his enthusiasm. "I see you haven't forgotten about that, have you?"

 

He shakes his head and giggles. "Nope."

 

"It's a bit too early now, the pool won’t even be open yet, so how about we go watch some cartoons and then we can go later on?"

 

"Yay." He practically screams his reply and Emma quickly shushes him and reminds him to be quiet so they don't wake up his mom just yet. She stands up, still holding him and he clings to her as she makes her way downstairs. Once downstairs she sits on the sofa and he sits next to her as she switches on the TV and they watch his favourite cartoons together. She was too happy to feel any guilt over waking him up, she'd missed him too much to wait any longer to be with him. 

 

After a little while her stomach rumbles, she'd only managed to eat a protein bar on the drive up last night and her body was showing it's dissatisfaction at having been forced to skip a meal.

 

"Why don't we make breakfast in bed for your mom?" She suggests to the boy snuggled up against her side.

 

"Yeah, can we have pancakes?" He really was obsessed with them. 

 

Emma wasn't great at making pancakes and she wanted to keep things as simple as possible if she was going to have to keep an eye on him as he helped. "How about we do eggs? Your mom said you're really good at doing those." Regina had said no such thing but she had mentioned that he'd helped her make breakfast many times, and she knew Henry got enthusiastic about things when he was given positive encouragement.

 

"I do make good eggs! And toast!" She could see the pride in his face again and she loved it.

 

"That sounds delicious." She states as they get up off the couch and make their way to the kitchen, Henry reaching for her hand to hold.

 

She sits him on the kitchen counter as she gets all the utensils and ingredients ready. When she has everything she needs she pulls up a chair for Henry to stand on as they get to work. She cracks the eggs into a bowl, adding in milk and seasoning, Henry then whisks them up slowly, but she leaves him to do it at his own pace. As he's doing that she pops the bread in the toaster and turns on the coffee machine, never taking her eyes off Henry for more than a couple of seconds at a time, her over-protectiveness always on high alert around him. When he had declared the eggs to be whisked enough she put him on the floor and told him to go get an apron, it would offer him a bit of protection from the frying pan but it also gave her a chance to whisk the eggs properly. As soon as he came back from the pantry with the apron looped over his head she ceased whisking and helped him back onto the chair before tying the strings of the apron around his back.

 

"We have to be careful now, Henry. It's going to be really hot." The blonde kindly warns the young boy as she turns on the stove . He stares as she pours the egg mixture into the pan, his tongue poking out the side of his mouth as he concentrates on being ready to stir it when Emma says so.

 

“It’s ready for a bit of a stir now.” She instructs him, her eyes constantly watching his every movement.

 

He tentatively leans forward, heeding her earlier warning as he begins to stir the cooking eggs.

 

A few minutes later and they are both climbing the stairs, Emma carrying the tray of eggs, toast, coffee and juice, and Henry carrying a pot of jam for no other reason that he wanted to be helpful and carry something. She didn’t want to give him something he could spill and jam was the first thing that came to her mind.

 

“Go and wake your mom up, Henry.” The blonde suggests as they reach the top of the stairs. He walks ahead and enters his moms bedroom, all the while clutching the pot of jam in both his hands, taking his job very seriously. Emma hangs back at the doorway as he climbs on the bed, the task made more difficult than usual because he won’t let go of the pot of jam until he delivers it to his mom.

 

“Mom.” He quietly whispers into her ear after he manages to climb onto the bed. “Mommy. I have jam for you.”

 

Regina slowly wakes to see Henry kneeling next to her, the pot of jam thrust into her face. “Good morning, my prince,” she gives him a kiss on the cheek before continuing, “where’s Emma?” She asks in confusion at the lack of any sign of her lover.

 

“We made you breakfast!” He excitedly declares, not answering her question.

 

“Good morning, beautiful.” The blonde says as a way of answering her, from across the room. Regina turns her head to find the blonde standing with a tray of food by the door. “We thought you might like breakfast in bed.” She walks to the bed and places the tray on Regina’s bedside cabinet.

 

“Where’s my morning kiss?” She asks her girlfriend with a pout.

 

"Maybe if you hadn't left me in a cold bed you would get one." The brunette teases.

 

"We made you breakfast." The blonde counters as she gets on the bed to kneel over Regina. "Henry, I don't think it's fair that you got a kiss but I didn't." She directs the statement to the boy sitting next to them.

 

"I can give you a kiss, Emma." He happily says as he jumps up and kisses her cheek, always full of energy and enthusiasm.

 

"Thank you, Henry. You're a better kisser anyway." She gives a fake huff as she rolls off Regina to sit on her side of the bed.

 

"Henry, sweetheart, it seems Emma has forgotten the spoon for my coffee, could you go get one for me please?"

 

"Yes, mommy." He replies as he climbs off the bed, always happy to help. 

 

"Don't run." She calls after him.

 

"Why do you need a spoon?" Emma queries when Henry’s out of earshot.

 

"I don't. I just needed a minute with you to remind you just how well I kiss." She states in her low, seductive voice that she knows gets Emma going. She climbs onto the blondes lap and wraps her arms around her strong neck, their upper bodies pressed together. Emma opens her mouth to reply but before she can get her words out, a dominating set of lips press against her own and the tip of her lovers tongue firmly caresses hers, the brunette unwilling to waste another second. Emma's hands roam to the brunettes backside, which she squeezes, making them both moan into each other’s mouths. Regina pulls back a few moments later with a sigh when they hear footsteps begin to ascend the stairs, she kisses the blonde lightly before moving back to her side of the bed.

"Can we make him get more spoons?" The blonde jokingly asks just before he enters the room. Regina gives a hearty laugh and shakes her head in amusement as Henry climbs back on the bed.

"Here you go, mommy."

 

"Thank you my darling." She praises as she takes the spoon.

 

He squeezes in to sit between them and Regina reaches for the tray and passes them their plates of cooling food so they can all start their breakfast.

 

XXXXXXXX

 

Two hours later and Emma was parking up at the local swimming pool. Henry was impatiently waiting for one of the women to unbuckle him from the car seat so he can get changed and get into the water as quickly as possible. Emma is the first one to him, after opening the door for Regina.

 

"Are you ready to show me how good you are at swimming, buddy?"

 

"Yeah. Mom said I don't even need to wear my arm bands this time!" He proudly states. 

 

"As long as you stay in the shallow end." Regina corrects him. She normally always made him wear his arm bands but Emma had told her of the present she had for him so Regina was willing to forgo them this time.

 

"I know that, mommy. But I can go to the deep end with Emma." It's more of a statement that a question, to him nothing could go wrong if Emma was with him.

 

"Only if Emma wants to." She didn't want the blonde to feel forced into anything, she was sure Emma would do anything he asked. She walks behind them, Henry's small hand reaching up as Emma held it in her own as he pulled her to the doors of the reception. After they had paid they made their way to the changing room, Emma got changed in the communal area but Regina took Henry into a stall for some privacy. When they came out Emma was waiting for them on a bench in her sports bikini which was comprised of small purple shorts and a matching swim top. It was her normal style but it wasn’t lost on her the effect she knew it would have on the brunette.

 

Regina was dressed more conservatively in a demure one piece black bathing suite that she wore in a way no one else could. Henry had his red ‘cars’ swim trunks and a pair of swim goggles in his hand. Emma had a thousand megawatt smile on her face as they approached her. She could get used to this, she thought, having days out with her girlfriend and her girlfriends son, the two people that already meant more to her than anyone or anything else in the world.

 

“Come On, Emma. Let’s go.” He practically squeals in excitement.

 

“One second, kid. I have a present for you first.”

 

“Another one?” He hadn’t forgotten about racing driver outfit she had given him last weekend. Regina had spent more than enough time each morning that week trying to dissuade him from wearing it to school.

 

“Yep. Seen as you are a big boy and you don’t have to wear arm bands anymore, I thought this might help instead. It will make you go faster.” She passes him the unwrapped gift of a training aid kickboard that had the same ‘cars’ design on it as his swim trunks.

 

“Thank you.” He says before giving her a hug and taking his gift. “Will it really make me go faster?” 

 

“It will when I teach you how to use it properly.” She promises him.

 

“Look what Emma got me, mommy.” He shows off his new gift and points out all the ways in which it matches his trunks. “You can use it after me so that Emma can teach you to go faster too.” He sweetly offers his mother.

 

“That’s very kind of you sweetheart.” She plays along, having absolutely no intention of doing any such thing. Emma laughs at the image of Regina using a child’s kickboard.

 

They start in the shallow end with Emma standing several feet in front of him with Regina behind him as he follows Emma’s instructions as best he can. Every time he manages to swim to her she then increases the distance and makes him do it over and over until he’s swimming, with the aid of his kickboard, from one side of the pool to the other. He has always loved the water but Regina had confided in the blonde that he wasn’t the best swimmer. Emma had reassured her that she help him become a strong swimmer so that in the summer when they visited her she could teach them both various water sports.

 

Eventually they move to the deeper end of the pool, Emma reassuring Regina that nothing bad was going to happen. The brunette did eventually relax when Henry showed he had no problem with swimming in the deeper water.

 

“You’re a natural, buddy.” The blonde enthused when Henry made it all the way across to the other side, Regina slowly swimming just behind him, ready to jump to his aid if needed. “Maybe next week we can try it without the kickboard?” Regina’s face drained of colour but Henry was more than eager to try. “Don’t worry, beautiful. Nothing is going to happen to him.” The blonde promises as she wraps an arm around her girlfriends waist under the water. 

 

“I know. I do trust you. I just worry. I just couldn’t bear it if something happened to him.” Her eyes were trained on her young son who was now laying on the kickboard and floating next to them.

 

“Me neither. That’s why I won’t let anything happen to him. You two are everything to me.” Regina was surprised at the sincerity in Emma’s words, she could hear the deeper meaning echoing through them. 

 

“I’m not sure how it has happened but you have become the part of my life that it didn’t know was missing.” Regina thought she would be scared of admitting her feelings to the blonde, she did have Henry to think about after all, but the fear just wasn’t their when she looked into the blondes eyes.

 

“Mommy, I’m hungry.” The young boy unknowingly interrupts their moment.

 

“Do you think you can swim all the way back to the shallow end before we get out and go for some lunch?” The blonde asks in a way that offers it as a challenge.

 

“Uh huh.” He replies as he gets himself into position, holding tightly onto the kickboard. They allow him to lead the way as they swim closely behind him, sharing a secret smile just between the two of them after the words they had just shared.

 

XXXXXXXX

 

The weekend passed in a blur of laughter and wonderful memories made together. It was all too soon before Emma had to leave again and Henry was clinging onto her, asking her to stay. After promises of a bedtime story before she left and skype chats in the evenings, he eventually got into his bed, this time without any tears. Regina went to do some tidying so Emma and Henry could have a bit of time together, just the two of them, as the blonde read him a bedtime story.

 

In less than ten minutes he was fast asleep, the excitement of the weekend having worn him out. This time it was Emma that cried when she had to leave. She sat next to him, his tiny hand in hers, until the tears stopped and she gave him one last kiss to his forehead before leaving his room.

 

“Oh sweetheart.” The brunette exclaimed at seeing her girlfriends teary eyes when the blonde walked into the kitchen.

 

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to get upset.” She says at she rubs at her own eyes. “I’m just going to miss him so much. I’ll miss the both of you so much.”

 

Regina pulls the blonde to her and wraps her arms around her waist. Emma lays her head on Regina’s shoulder and takes a moment to gather herself in the safety and comfort of her lovers arms. “Can I stay here tonight and just call in sick tomorrow?” She whispers into the tanned neck, half joking, well, maybe only ten per cent joking.

 

“As much as I would love to keep you here forever, that is just delaying the inevitable my darling.”

 

“Euch. Why are you so sensible?”

 

“Well, one of us has to be, dear.” She teases the blonde. Emma doesn’t reply, instead she nibbles on the soft skin of the brunettes neck, making her moan. “That’s unfair.” She husks between breathy moans as the blondes nibbles turn to kisses and teasing licks. She gathers all her will power and pushes the blonde away. “You had better get going before you no longer have a choice in the matter and I keep you here forever.”

 

“Fine. This week had better go quickly. Last week felt like it dragged on forever.”

 

“I know, it felt like that for me too. It’s only a few more weeks until the summer holidays though and we will be able to come up to Boston and stay for longer.”

 

“I can’t wait for that.” She replies, unable to keep the smile from her face at the promise of spending some real time with her two favourite people.

 

Regina walks her to the door where they say goodbye and Emma promises to text her as soon as she arrives home safely. Regina sends her off with a kiss the blonde won’t soon forget.


	16. Stitches.

The weeks did indeed fly by, even though they didn't feel like it at the time. Emma's midweek and weekend visits to the pub with Ruby had been non-existent as she was either on Skype with Henry during the week or in Storybrooke with them at the weekends. This Friday was different though, Emma was out with Ruby for a few drinks.

 

Henry was staying with Cora, and Regina was out with Zelena and Kathryn because tomorrow morning they would be driving up to Emma's for the first time to begin their two week stay with her. Henry's school was finished for the summer and Regina had managed to fix her schedule to allow her a fortnight off. She didn’t want to drive to Boston on the Friday night because it would mess with Henry’s sleep pattern, she knew that even if he slept in the car, if he woke up once they got to Emma’s he would be way too excited to sleep. So she thought it would be best if they started out after breakfast on the Saturday, it gave Cora the opportunity to spend some time with her grandson and Emma could have a night out with Ruby as she caught up with Kathryn and her sister. Both she and Emma were guilty of neglecting their social lives recently.

 

"Be a good boy for Grandma and go to bed when she tells you to, okay?" The brunette asks her son.

 

"I will, mommy." He promises her.

 

"You're always a good boy for your Grandma aren't you, my darling?" Cora directs her rhetorical question to Henry and receives an enthusiastic nod in return.

 

"He's already had his dinner so don't let him trick you into giving him anything else." Regina tells her mother.

 

"Sure." Cora replies with a wink. They both know Cora will have a treat for him when they both watch one of his favourite animated films together before he has to go to bed. “And I’ll make sure he goes to bed on time too.” She gives a small chuckle, they both knew there was no way he would be going to bed on time either.

 

Regina knows there is no point arguing with her mother, she just rolls her eyes and gives her mother a hug before squatting down to hug her son and give him a kiss. "I love you and I'll see you in the morning, my prince."

 

"Ok, mommy. Then we go to see Emma?" The excitement bursts out of him when he speaks of Emma.

 

"Yes, after breakfast we will go to see Emma." Her own excitement is just as obvious as Henry's. "Thank you for having him for the night, mother. I'll see you in the morning."

 

"Not a problem, darling, you know I love having him over. Now go and have a good time with the girls and make sure your sister behaves."

 

"You don't ask for much do you? Just the impossible." Regina chuckles, they both know there is no controlling the redhead. She grabs her purse from the sideboard in the hallway and heads out of the door, making her way to the designated bar where Zelena and Kathryn should be waiting for her already.

 

A little while later and she is walking into the bar, her eyes scanning the room for her companions. She hears her sisters cackle before she sees the women. "What's so funny?" She asks her obviously amused sister as she approaches their table.

 

"Your fashion sense." The redhead quips. Regina ignores her and takes a seat at the table.

 

"Zelena was just trying to offer me a bet, which I refused." Kathryn answers in lieu of Zelena, giving her a stern stare as she does so.

 

"What kind of bet?" Regina asks suspiciously, her eyes shifting between the two women.

 

Kathryn hesitated, not wanting to repeat Zelena's crudeness. The redhead had no such problem. "I bet her fifty bucks that your sexual frustration at not getting any of your regular Friday night nookie would be palpable and you wouldn’t be able to sit still."

 

"I'm going to the bar to get a drink." She wasn't going to acknowledge her sisters lewd comments. Zelena laughs as the brunette walks away in a huff.

 

A couple of drinks later and the women are hashing over old memories from when they were growing up when Regina's phone pings to signal she has received a text. She had kept it within reach on the table, just in case Emma had decided to message her. She didn't want to disturb the blondes night as she knew Emma hardly ever spent time with her friends because she was spending it all with her and Henry, it always made her feel a little guilty but not guilty enough to give up any of their time together. When she saw it was Emma's name on her screen it must have been obvious to the others because Zelena started making gagging noises. "You can't even go one night without each other?"

 

Regina said nothing as she opened the text. "Hey, beautiful. I hope you are having fun. I can't wait to see you both tomorrow xxx"

 

She quickly typed back. "Hello, darling. We can't wait to see you either. I'm not sure if my night can be described as fun... Zelena is here after all."

 

"You had better not be sexting." Zelena declares loud enough to garner stares from a few patrons in the vicinity of their table and cause her sister to blush. Even Kathryn can't help but laugh a little.

 

"Do shut up, Zee." She reprimands her sister.

 

Another text comes through. "Good luck with her. I don't envy you :P"

 

"Hey." The redhead shouts as she leans over the brunettes shoulder to sneak a peek at the messages, causing Regina to pull her phone against her chest and away from prying eyes. "I'm the most fun person there is. Plenty of people love hanging out with me." She says it like a sulking teenager with a pout on her face.

 

"Maybe if they're into masochism." Regina retorts before sending another text. "I know it's still early in our relationship but how do you feel about helping me bury a body?"

 

"LOL! I am pretty familiar with the forest around here ;) I had better go now, babe. If Ruby rolls her eyes any harder at me they may get stuck at the back of her head."

 

"Have fun, I'll text you before I go to sleep. Mwa." Regina sends as a final text.

 

She makes the most of catching up with her friend and sister for the rest of the night, and ends up drinking more than she had intended. Regina could handle her booze as well as the next person but she had been avoiding nights out with the girls since Emma had come into her life and the effects of that were becoming obvious for everyone to see as she could barely walk in a straight line to the bathroom.

 

“She’s madly in love, isn’t she?” Kathryn asks the redhead as they watch the brunette sway to the ladies room, unsteady on her feet.

 

“Off her nut in love.” Zelena replies.

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

"So, how excited are you for tomorrow?" Ruby asks the blonde when she finally puts her phone away. Emma hadn’t stopped talking about Regina and Henry’s visit since they had finalised it a couple of weeks ago. Everyday in work it was all Emma would talk about and even though Ruby found it a bit tedious she was happy because she had never seen her friend so excited about anything.

 

The huge smile that Ruby had never seen on Emma’s face before the blonde had met Regina was gracing her features again. “I’m counting down the minutes. I literally cannot wait to see them again. We are going to go camping and I’m going to take them canoeing and paddle boarding and whatever else they want to do.” Ruby had heard this dozens of times already but she couldn’t help smiling at her friends animated answer as she came alive whenever the subject arose.

 

“And his room is finished?”

 

“Yep! It’s wall to wall car theme. I think he’ll love it. I hope he’ll love it.” Her initial confidence in her answer to the question slowly drains from her. She had spent all her free time in the last couple of weeks looking for ideas online and then putting them into practice as she decorated her box room in a way she hoped Henry would love. She digs for her phone in her pocket again, “let me show you the end result, tell me what you think.” She holds her phone so they can both see the photos and starts swiping through the pictures that depict every single inch of Henry’s room in her apartment.

 

“It’s wonderful, Em. He will love it. What does Regina think about it?”

 

“I haven’t told her about it. I want it to be a surprise. Do you think that’s a bad idea?”

 

“No, why would it be?”

 

“I don’t know, Maybe she ill think I’m trying too hard to be a part of their family?”

 

“You are already part of that family, you dumbass.”

 

“No, I’m not. We live miles apart and only see each other at weekends. That’s not a family.”

 

“You love them and you’d do anything for them. That’s family.” Emma looks a little sheepish at Ruby’s statement. “Are you shitting me? You haven’t told her you love her, have you?”

 

“No.” She starts anxiously picking at the label on her bottle of beer.

 

“Total dumbass.” Ruby repeats with a shake of her head. “Why not?”

 

“What if it’s too much too soon? What if she doesn’t feel the same? What if I lose them both?”

 

“Woah, slow down.” Her lanky friend commands.

 

“I don’t want to risk it.” The blonde sighs as she picks off the last piece of the label.

 

“You won’t be risking anything. I saw the way she looked at you in camp, even all those weeks ago it was obvious.” Emma stares at her, disbelieving what the brunette was saying. “Really, Emma. It’s so obvious she’s in love with you too. Stop being so afraid and just tell her. Once you take that first step the rest of your life will open up for you.”

 

“You’re quite smart for someone who’s never had a relationship for more than a weekend.” The blonde huffs as she finishes off the last of her beer.

 

“Yep. I’m not just good looking. I feel like I deserve a beer for brining true love together.” Ruby cheekily says as she shakes her empty beer bottle in front of her friends face.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” The blonde tries to seem unaffected by her friends words as she makes her way to the bar. “But I guess you’re right.” She whispers to herself with a big smile on her face.

 

She’s tempted to text Regina again as she waits her turn at the bar, the Friday night rush means she has to wait longer than usual to get served. As she’s reaching into her pocket for her phone, her mind made up to text the brunette she can never stop thinking about, a voice from besides her stops her in her tracks.

 

“Hey Emmie. How have you been?” Emma is literally frozen to the spot by the voice from her past. A voice she had hoped to never hear again. “Emmie?” The blast from the past tries again.

 

She slowly turns her head to the side the voice is coming from, her eyes wide in surprise, not even a welcome surprise at that. “Lilly,” it’s barely more than a whisper, as if saying it any louder was too much of a harsh confirmation. The face she had once adored was looking back at her, a smile on her plastered over it as if she had never hurt the blonde, as if she had wiped that part of their history from her mind.

 

“Yeah, the one and only,” she smugly replies. “You’re looking good, Emmie.” She appraises as she looks the blonde up and down.

 

“Don’t call me that,” she requests as she looks back towards the bar, not wanting to miss her turn so she can get the drinks and get the hell away from Lilly.

 

“Don’t be like that, come on, it’s all water under the bridge.” The forward woman says as she caresses the small of Emma’s back, causing the blonde to take a step forward in the limited space near the bar so she can avoid the other woman’s touch. “I remember how much you used to like my touch, Emmie,” she purrs into the blondes ear as she ignores the request not to use the old nickname.

 

“What can I get you?” The bartender shouts over to Emma as the person in front of the blonde takes their leave with their ordered drink in hand, allowing Emma to step up the bar.

 

“Two beers, please.” She politely requests.

 

“And a pink gin.” Lilly adds. The bartender looks to Emma for confirmation of the additional drink and the blonde just gives a small nod of acquiescence. Emma never had it in her to be mean to anyone, even someone who had wronged her so much. “Soooo…the girl you’re with…. are you two a thing?”

 

“What? No!” Emma is taken aback that anyone would think she and Ruby were a couple. They were best friends, more like sisters even.

 

“Well, that’s good. I think I would be pretty jealous if you were with someone.” Lilly always did have a lot of front, she had no right to be jealous after everything she had done.

 

The bartender places the pink gin on the bar in front of Emma, quickly followed by the two beers. Emma pays then grabs the beers and turns to go, leaving the pink gin for Lilly to collect. Before she leaves she turns to Lilly, “I am with someone.” She wasn’t smiling to be a bitch to the woman that had caused her lots of pain, she was smiling because she was thinking of Regina. Without saying anything else she leaves her ex standing in place and makes her way back over to Ruby.

 

“Who was that?” Ruby queries when the blonde sits back down in their booth.

 

“Promise not to freak out?”

 

“Sure.” Ruby easily agrees, she didn’t recognise the woman so she didn’t think she had a reason to freak out.

 

“That is Lilly.”

 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Ruby bellows loud enough to be heard by several of the patrons over the loud music.

 

“Ruby, you promised not to freak out.”

 

“That’s because I didn’t know that shithead was talking to you. I’m going to kick that skanky bitches ass.” The brunette huffs as she stands up.

 

Emma reaches over and grabs her arm before she leaves the booth. “Please, sit down. Please.” She pleads, not ever liking any sort of confrontation and she really doesn’t want to make a scene.

 

With a huff the brunette sits back down, staring daggers at the back of the brunettes head, who was still standing at the bar. “Fine. What did she want anyway?”

 

“I don’t know and I don’t care.” She’s nothing to me and I don’t want anything to do with her. But maybe we should drink up and go somewhere else.” Emma was so over Lilly but that didn’t mean she was okay being in the same room as her.

 

“Yeah, okay.” Ruby agrees as she takes a swig of her beer. 

 

Emma quickly gulps down the entire content of the bottle before putting in on the table with a bit of a thud. “I’m just going to go to the toilet then we can get out of here.” 

 

Ruby felt bad for her friend, she knew she was happy with Regina but she thought that seeing Lilly must have brought up some ugly memories for her. She thought again about going to kick Lilly’s ass but when she looks towards the bar the woman is nowhere to be seen.

 

Emma flushes the toilet and unlatches the door only to find Lilly sitting on the space between the two sinks in the bathroom. With a sigh she makes her way over to wash her hands as the only other person in the bathroom finishes drying her hands and leaves.

 

“Why all the hostility?” Lilly innocently asks the blonde who is furiously washing her hands and avoiding eye contact with her. Emma turns off the tap and Lilly quickly grabs a few paper towels from the dispenser on the wall next to her and hands them to the blonde.

 

“Why do you think, Lilly? You treated me like crap for most of our relationship and then you cheated on me!” Emma was exasperated at needing to explain any of it to the seemingly clueless woman.

 

“Emmie, that was years ago. I made a mistake, let it go.”

 

Emma sighs at the stupid mutation of her name and also at the gall of her ex to think it was easy for her to let go of all the pain she caused her. “Whatever.” With a shake of her head the blonde finishes drying her hands with the paper towels and balls them up before chucking them in the bin, Lilly quickly intercepts her as she makes her way to the door to leave. 

 

“Hang on, Emmie. Wait.” Lilly pleads as she places her hands on the blondes chest to stop her leaving. “I’ve missed you.” Emma steps back but Lilly steps forward into the vacated space until Emma is caught between her and the wall. She knows she could very easily overpower her but that was not her style, she had the strength but she never used force. The brunettes hands slide from the blondes chest and down her torso until she has the blonde pinned to the wall by her hips.

 

“Stop this, Lilly. I have a girlfriend and I want to leave.”

 

“I don’t see you girlfriend anywhere. It’s just you and me here, Emmie.” She presses herself against Emma and their lips are just inches away from each other.

 

“Lilly, step away from me or I’ll make you.” Even Emma knew it was an empty threat, she just hoped her ex would heed it.

 

“No, you won’t. You want this, you want me. Lilly lunged forward to connect their lips but Emma quickly turned her head.

 

“Fuck!” She shouts. In her haste to avoid the kiss she smacked her temple into the shape edge of a shelf.

 

“Shit, you’re bleeding.” Lilly backs away and grabs a few more paper towels for the blonde to help stem the flow of blood that was pouring down the side of her face from the gash.

 

Emma ignores the offer of the paper towels as the blood pours down her neck and starts soaking into the collar of her plaid shirt. “Lilly, I want nothing to do with you and I don’t want you in any way. I finally know what it is to be truly in love with someone and I will never mess that up, especially not by cheating on her, particularly with someone like you.” With that the blonde leaves the shocked woman standing in the bathroom, unused to hearing Emma stand up for herself.

 

Emma ignores all the stares she receives as she makes her way across the pub to Ruby.

 

“Holy fucking hell, Emma. What the hell happened to you?” Her friend panics at seeing her half blood covered face.

 

“Nothing. Let’s go. I just want to go home and sleep so tomorrow will be here quicker.”

 

Ruby holds the side of the blondes face that isn’t dripping blood and turns her head so she can look at the wound. “No way. We are going to the hospital, you need stitches.”

 

“I’m fine, Ruby. I’ll clean it up at home.” She was so done with the night. Normally she would be in bed with Regina at this time on a Friday night but instead she was bleeding after a crappy run-in with her hex ex as she pined for her girlfriend.

 

Ruby decided to try another way to convince her friend that medical assistance was needed. “Emma, if you don’t go to the hospital to get this checked out, Regina will only make you do it tomorrow and that means you’ll end up wasting their first day of their holiday as they hang around in the hospital with you. Is that what you want?”

 

“No. Fine, let’s go” she easily submits. She didn’t want to waste any of her precious time with her two favourite people by having to go to the hospital, which she knew Regina would make her do. 

 

Ruby takes off her scarf and places it against the wound to help stem the blood flow, causing Emma to wince when the material makes contact with the gash. “Hold it there.” Ruby demands before leading her outside and hailing a cab to take them to the hospital.

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Regina: "I'm on my way home now, darling. I hope you are having a good night."

 

Emma: "Hey, beautiful. Not really. How was your night?”

 

Regina: “I had a lovely night. Why haven’t you?”

 

Emma: “I have had a little accident and I’m in the hospital. I’m ok though, nothing serious.”

 

Her phone was ringing before she even had the chance to close the screen. Her stomach turned at the thought of having to explain how it all happened as she picked up the phone to her girlfriend.

 

“Hey…”

 

“Emma, what’s wrong? What happened?” The worry was instantly evident in Regina’s voice as she cut though the blondes greeting, the fact that the brunette was also a bit tipsy was evident in her voice. It warmed Emma’s heart to know that she finally had someone in her life, other than Ruby, that worried about her.

 

“I’m okay, beautiful. I just knocked the side of my head and cut it. I’m just at the hospital as a precaution.”

 

“How did you knock your head?”

 

Emma really didn’t want to get into the reason behind it, particularly as she was sitting in the waiting room of the hospital with loads of other people around her and she would prefer her girlfriend to be sober when she tells her the story. “I wasn’t paying attention and I knocked my temple on the edge of a shelf.” She tries to downplay it but she knows she will have to tell the brunette the truth when she arrives tomorrow.

 

“Oh, sweetheart. I wish I was there to take care of you.”

 

Ruby returns with a couple of bottles of water from the vending machine and sits next to the blood covered woman. She mouths ‘who’ to Emma, in question as to who she was on the phone with.

 

‘Regina’ she mouths back, , earning a kissy face from her childish friend.

 

“You can take care of me tomorrow.” She says as she avoids eye contact with her friend, who would otherwise probably make all sorts of childish gestures.

 

“I will, my darling.”

 

“Emma Swan.” A nurse calls from the doorway.

 

“I have to go now, sweetheart, they are calling for me. I’ll speak to you tomorrow.”

 

“No, call me when you’re back home, please?” She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep until she had more news on the state of her girlfriends injury.

 

“Okay, beautiful.” She hangs up and makes her way to the waiting nurse, Ruby following behind her.

 

“Jump up on the bed and we’ll get started.” The nurse orders Emma as she closes the door behind them. The nurse starts with a few questions, “any nausea? Dizziness? Drowsiness?” 

 

The blonde answers in the negative to all of the questions.

 

“Okay, good. How many fingers am I holding up?”

 

“Two. Four. One” Emma correctly confirms each time the nurse changes the amount of fingers she holds up.

 

“Don’t move your head, just follow the light with your eyes.” The nurse states as she clicks on the small torch from the chest pocket of her scrubs. Emma follows it perfectly, her pupils dilating back to normal size when the torch is switched off.

 

“There doesn’t seem to be any concussion or anything of concern so let’s have a look at the gash.” The blood had more or less stopped pouring from the wound already. “It’s just superficially, a few stitches will sort it out.”

 

“Okay, thanks.” Emma hadn’t felt too bad apart from some pain around the wound itself so she hadn’t been worried.

 

The nurse cleans up the blood so she can have a better look at the wound site. Four stitches later and directions on what symptoms to look out for, and Emma is being discharged. 

 

“Do you want me to stay at yours tonight?” Ruby asks as they sit in the back of the taxi that was ferrying them home.

 

“No, I’m fine. I promise.” She just wanted to get into bed and hear her girlfriends voice

 

“You’ll call me if you get any of those symptoms the nurse told you to look out for?”

 

“I will.” The blonde agrees.

 

The taxi drops Emma off first and she passes Ruby enough bills to cover the rest of the journey to her own place. Ruby tries to give them back but Emma is out of the door before she can.

 

Once she’s in her bed she reluctantly calls her girlfriend. She was only reluctant because she didn’t want to wake her up, but she had promised to call so that’s what she does.

 

The call is answered on the first ring. “Emma, are you okay?” Regina hurriedly asks.

 

“Hey. Yes, I’m okay. Weren’t you sleeping?” Her girlfriend should have been asleep, it was almost four in the morning but she had answered the phone too quickly to have actually been asleep.

 

“No, I was too worried to sleep. What did the doctor say? Are you in pain? Did you have stitches?”

 

“Calm down, baby. I saw a nurse, not a doctor. There is minimal pain and I only had four stitches.”

 

“Oh, sweetheart. I’m going to take such good care of you tomorrow.”

 

“Oh yeah? That sounds like fun.” The implication of what she was hoping for was obvious.

 

“I didn’t mean it like that, but I suppose I could kiss it better.” The brunette husks, the worry finally leaving her body now that she knew Emma was home and safe and in a playful mood.

 

“I’m going to have to have stitches more often if it means I will get kisses off you.” She teasingly suggests.

 

“Don’t you dare. If you are hurt we won’t be able to do anything more than kiss. I wouldn’t want to put any more stress on your body,” she teases back.

 

“Well that certainly isn’t an option.” The blonde quips.

 

They continuing talking for a bit longer until the booze and worry from the night finally catch up with Regina and her shallow breathing can be heard down the phone, sleep finally overcoming her.

 

“Goodnight, my love.” Emma whispers down the line before hanging up the phone and drifting off to sleep herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question: How do we think Regina should take care of Emma? :P


	17. Florence Nightingale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had hoped to get this up a little sooner than I have. I hope it's worth the wait!

Emma awoke to a buzzing in her head and a buzzing from her phone. “Hello,” she gruffly answers, not having checked the caller I.D. in her rush to make the noise stop.

“Well, hello to you too, darling.”

“Shit. Sorry. How are you, beautiful?” The blonde rushes to sit up and wake herself up a little, grunting lightly at the throbbing in her temple.

“I am quite alright. How’s your head?”

“I haven’t had any complaints so far.” The blonde laughs at her own joke which only causes the pain at the side of her head to intensify.

“I can well believe that.” Regina replies, unphased by Emma’s crude quip.

“What time is it? When are you leaving?” The blonde hastily asks, realising it has to be a bit later in the morning because of the light streaming through the window.

“It’s twelve thirty. We’ve stopped to grab some lunch, we are just over half way to Boston.”

“Shit. It’s twelve thirty? How did I sleep in so long. I wanted to do some grocery shopping before you got here and I have to tidy up.”

“Emma, calm down. We can go shopping together when we arrive." She tries to placate her panicking girlfriend.

Emma was about to protest because she wanted everything to be prepared and perfect when her favourite duo turned up but she could hear Henry's excited voice in the background and got side-tracked. "Is that my little guy I can hear?" She asks Regina.

"Yes. He's on one of those coin operated rides whilst we wait for lunch. He's on his second go already, I've left him with a couple of quarters to keep him busy so I could call."

"Aww man, I want to talk to him though." 

"Are you sulking?" She teasingly asks the woman who can be as much a child as Henry is at times.

"No." She states with a pout that Regina can't see.

"You are too cute. I'm going to hang up but I'll send you something in a minute that should curb your sulking."

"Oh okay. I'll get my butt into gear. See you later, sweetheart."

She drags herself from the warm comfort of her bed and moves to the shower as quickly as she can without aggravating her already thumping head. She washes herself from the neck down, not bothering with her hair to avoid wetting the band-aid that’s covering her stitches. She walks back through to her bedroom, towel wrapped around herself and sits on the edge of her bed so she can check her phone to see if Regina had sent her something. There was indeed a video message waiting for her, which she hurriedly opens.

Her screen shows a very excited Henry sitting on a coin operated ride, a racing car no less, that was bobbing up and down, loud whooshing noises blaring from the speakers. She could just about hear Regina’s voice telling the giddy boy to wave at the camera for Emma. She could easily make out the boy shouting his greetings to her, after a few more seconds the video came to an end, leaving her with a huge smile on her face.

She quickly tapped out a text to Regina. "He looks so happy! You guys need to get your butts here ASAP! I need my Mills family fix."

She puts her phone down only to have to pick it up a few seconds later when she it buzzes to let her know a text has arrived. "We are eating now, as soon as we are done we'll hit the road again. We need our Swan fix."

Emma puts her phone away and struggles into a pair of skinny jeans before chucking on a white vest. She was going to be faster and more organised than she had ever been in her life. Everything needed to be perfect for when they arrived. She already knew her apartment would be a let-down compared to the mansion they were used to so everything she could offer them had to be spot on. When she'd brought up her insecurities over her home to Regina, the brunette had of course reassured her that she had nothing to worry about and that as long as they were together nothing else mattered.

She didn't have time to worry about that now though, she had shopping to do and then she needed to tidy up when she got back. The apartment was already the tidiest it had been since she had moved in, she had been keeping it clean all week but Regina's home was always immaculate and that's what she was attaining for as well. 

Just over an hour later she returns clutching more grocery bags then she had ever carried. She usually uses the same supermarket each week when she does her own food shopping but she had been to four separate shops that afternoon to make sure she got Regina's and Henry's favourite things. After keeping all of the shopping she runs a hoover over the entire place and changes her bed-sheets. Henry's bedroom was already made up for him and once she was done she realised she had at least another half an hour before they were due to arrive. She walks around her apartment, checking and double checking that everything is clean and in its place. She keeps her phone in her hand for when Regina would call her upon her arrival.

It felt like hours but in reality it was closer to forty minutes when her phone started ringing in her hand, Regina's name flashing on the screen. She quickly whipped it to her ear as she answered it, hissing when she pressed it against the tender flesh around her temple in her excitement at their arrival. "Hey, are you guys here?" She quickly asks before Regina could even get a word out.

"We have just parked up," she says as she chuckles softly down the line at the blondes enthusiasm.

"I'll be right there!" With that she hangs up and rushes out of the door and down the three flights of stairs, knowing it would be quicker than waiting for the unreliable elevator. When she opens the foyer door that leads out onto the street she can see the two brunettes unloading their luggage from the trunk of the car in the parking lot across the road. She glances both ways on the road and then quickly jogs across it when she deems it to be free from traffic. 

"Hey, you two," she greets, slowing to a walk as she approaches them.

"Emma!" Henry shouts before running at her, she swoops down and picks him up for a big hug.

"I missed you so much, buddy."

"I missed you too, Emma." He gasps when he notices the large band-aid that's covering her stitches., "Emma, you got a boo-boo on your head."

"Yes, I do."

"Does it hurt? My mommy kisses my boo-boos better when they hurt." 

"It does hurt a little bit. Do you think you can try to kiss it better for me?"

At this point Regina has all their luggage unloaded and the car is locked as she strolls over to them. She's heard their conversation and is internally cringing because she knows Emma will let him play doctor but she also knows he isn't the gentlest of children.

He leans closer to her temple from where he is perched in her arms, placing his little hands on her face for balance, his fingers on one hand poking into her eye as he presses the gentlest kiss he has ever given her, which isn't saying much, over the band-aid. It wouldn't have been too bad if he hadn't placed the kiss directly over the stitches.

Emma winces but makes sure to plaster a smile on her face when he pulls back. "That feels better already! I think you have magical kisses."

"Mommy, I made Emma better." He announces when he notices his mother standing next to them.

Regina finds it hard not to blurt out her love for the blonde when she feels the happiness and pride emanating from her son that was all because of Emma. Instead she settles for, "hello, sweetheart."

"Hey, beautiful," Emma replies as she lowers Henry to his feet so she can pull her girlfriend against her. She inhales Regina's perfume and kisses her cheek. "I'm so happy you're here."

"I'm happy too. I wish we had come straight after work last night so you wouldn't have ended up hurt." She says in reference to the blondes bandaged temple. She lightly traces her fingers around the edge of the band-aid, sending pleasant shivers down Emma's spine. "I would have protected you from the big bad shelf," she chuckles, still unaware of the white lie the blonde had fed her.

The shivers disappear and her spine stiffens, the guilt of having not told Regina the truth an unwelcome guest at their reunion. Emma laughs it off but it doesn't come out naturally and Regina narrows her eyes at the blonde. "Let me grab your stuff and we can go inside." She chucks Henry's small backpack over one of her shoulders, Regina’s holdall over the other, and grabs the two suitcases by their handles and leads the way to her apartment.

Luckily the elevator was playing nicely today and actually worked when they got into it. She was trying to concentrate on all of Henry's ramblings but she was put off by Regina's suspicious gaze that she could feel burning into the good side of her head. Once she pushes the door to her apartment open Henry rushes in and she keeps holding the door open with one hand and offers Regina to enter before she does.

Henry squeals when he sees his name spelled out in big bright letters on a closed door. "That's my name."

"Yes, it is. Do you know why your name is on there?" He shakes his head in the negative. "Because that's your bedroom when you're staying here."

Regina knew Emma had a spare room for Henry to stay in but she had no idea it was to be his very own designated bedroom.

"Can I go in?" He excitedly asks.

"Of course you can." She offers with an anxious smile, unsure what Henry or Regina would think of it. She really hoped it was okay with them.

He makes a beeline for the door and pulls at the handle to open it, Regina is standing behind him, just as eager to see it.

"Mommy, look... a car bed!" He shouts before jumping onto the bed.

"Emma... you didn't have to," Regina almost whispers upon seeing the fully decorated room, "it's amazing."

She could finally feel herself relax after seeing their reactions. The curtains were car themed, the wallpaper was car themed, the bed was in the shape of a racing car and the carpet had road patterns on it so he could drive his little toy cars along it when he played. It didn't all match up perfectly but it was the best she could manage with only two weeks notice and a small budget.

There was also a small wardrobe and chest of drawers for him to keep his things in, she had wanted it to feel more like a home to him than just somewhere he was having a sleepover.

“Why don’t you unpack your things Henry? I’m going to go and unpack mine too.” She knew she would have to keep his things properly afterwards but she really needed to get Emma alone and ask her what the hell she was keeping from her.

“Okay, Mommy.”

“There’s something for you in the bottom of the wardrobe, Henry,” Emma happily offers. She rolls his suitcase into his room and placed his backpack next to it as he opens the wardrobe.

“Woooooow,” he excitedly jumps up and down before dragging out a clear plastic box that was as high as his knees, and full of toy cars. “Are these all for me?”

“Yep. All for you, buddy.”

He runs up to her and hugs her knees, “thank you, Emma!” He then rushes back to investigate his toys, kneeling down in front of the box as he starts pulling them all out.

“You’re welcome.” She got so much satisfaction from his happiness that she forgot Regina had been glaring at her constantly since the car park. A gently nudge to her ribs soon had her crashing back down to reality.

“Help me unpack?” Regina questions in a way that makes it sound like more of a command.

Emma nods and leads the way to their bedroom, grabbing Regina’s luggage on the way. “I’ve cleared out some space in the wardrobe for you and all these drawers here have been emptied,” she points to one side of her own chest of drawers.

"So... are you going to tell me how you really hurt your head?" Regina asks as she sits on the bed, crossing her legs in that sexy and elegant way that always makes Emma’s knees weak.

“I…uh… look… promise me you won’t get mad? I wanted to tell you the truth last night but I was in the middle of the waiting room in the hospital and you were a little tipsy, I wanted to tell you face to face.”

“I can’t promise you I won’t get mad, that depends on what it is. I’m here now so go ahead…” She was desperately hoping that her nonchalant attitude was working because inside her mind and heart were racing. In the few minutes since she caught on to the fact that Emma had lied to her about her injury she had conjured up a hundred different scenarios for the reason behind it and none of them were good.

“When I was out with Ruby I bumped into my ex, Lily.” Emma manages to look at Regina to gauge her reaction so far. The brunette was giving away nothing. Emma thought she must be a brilliant poker player. “She came up to me when I was getting a drink for me and Ruby and kind of made me buy her one. When I got back to Ruby I downed the drink and told her I wanted to leave. I went to use the bathroom as Ruby was her finishing her drink. Anyway, long story short, Lily followed me in there and tried to kiss me. I turned my head so she couldn’t kiss me and that’s when I hit in on the side of a shelf. I promise you I didn’t do anything I shouldn’t have. I didn’t kiss her. I didn’t want to be anywhere near her. I would never mess around behind your back.” Emma’s eyes were pleading with her to believe what she was saying.

Regina was so relieved, what she was just told was a lot better than what her imagination had been whipping up. She wanted to laugh at the weight that had just been lifted off her shoulders but Emma looked so full of worry as she sat there nervously awaiting a reaction from Regina. “Darling, you don’t need to be so worried. I don’t appreciate you keeping all the details from me until now but I understand why you did it.”

“So… you’re not mad at me?” She asks, looking so insecure, even more so than the first night they met. 

“Of course not. It wasn’t your fault.” She takes Emma’s face in her hands and gently strokes her thumbs over soft cheeks before kissing her softly. “It’s okay, but if I ever meet this Lily I will smile in her face as I garrotte her with the straps of my purse.”

Emma’s eyes went wide. “That took a dark turn quickly.”

“Nobody messes with my family.”

“Family?” She could feel her heart rate speed up at the word. She had never had a family and for Regina to be saying she was part of hers was the best thing she had ever heard.

“Yes, darling, family.” She hadn’t intended on making that sort of statement but the mixture of relief at knowing Emma hadn’t been beaten up by her drug dealer, or something as equally worrisome that Regina had made up in her head, and the insecurity Emma had shown, had made the words fall from her lips with ease.

Emma smiles widely, not caring that it hurt her head to do so, before kissing her girlfriend with everything she had. Regina pushes the blonde down onto the bed before climbing on top of her.

“Oh wow! A gold one. I don’t have a gold one.”

Henry’s joyful shouting at discovering a gold painted car amongst the many others in the box made the women pull apart and chuckle at his excitement.

“Once he’s in bed tonight I am going to take such good care of you, Miss Swan.” She purrs into her ear as she presses her thigh between Emma’s. Strong arms try to pull her back down for another kiss but instead she gets up so she can start unpacking. “Patience, my dear.”

“So damn evil,” Emma murmurs, causing Regina to laugh loudly.

 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

They were sat cuddled up on the couch later that evening, with the volume on the TV down low. The door to the sleeping boys bedroom was closed but the apartment was small so they were conscious of not being too noisy. Regina was sipping on her favourite wine, which Emma had made sure to buy a few bottles of when she went grocery shopping earlier that day. Emma was sticking to water whilst she was still taking medication for her head injury.

“I’ve missed this.” The blonde said quietly as she ran her hand through the silky brunette locks of the head that was snuggled against her chest.

“Mmm me too.”

“I feel like I live for the weekends, for when I can be with you and Henry.” It was getting harder and harder to not spew put all her feelings to the brunette, so they just kept slipping out one at a time. 

Regina sits up so she can look Emma in the eyes. She can see the truth shining in the light green eyes of her girlfriend and it melts her heart. She’s aware that Emma hasn’t had many people in her life to care for her or for her to care for and that makes it all the more heart-warming, it can’t be easy for her to be open with her feelings. 

“The weekends when we are all together is the best part of my life. I actually mark down the weekdays on my desk calendar in work, the same way people in prison mark off their days until release.” The both chuckle lightly, remembering to keep the noise down. “Shall we go to bed, darling? I did promise to take care of you after all,” she adds with a smirk and raised eyebrow.

“How are you going to take care of me?” Emma asks with a cheeky grin.

“Well, Henry tried to kiss you better and it doesn’t seem to have worked, maybe I should try?” She suggests with the most innocent look she could muster.

“My very own Florence Nightingale.” Emma murmurs against her lips before kissing her deeply, taking her breath away.

“Bedroom. Now!” Regina quietly demands as their lips part when oxygen becomes necessary.

Emma turns off the TV and rushes to the bedroom, leaving Regina to follow behind her. 

The brunette can only shake her head in amusement when she sees the blonde spread like a starfish in the middle of the bed.

“Take away my pain.” She dramatically states as Regina quietly closes the bedroom door behind herself.

Standing at the bottom of the bed she purrs, “when I’m done with you, you won’t remember your name let alone your injury.”

Emma sits up, leaning back on her elbows and gulps audibly when Regina bites her lip and slowly begins undoing the buttons on her white silk blouse. Emma’s eyes follow the nimble fingers as they work on revealing more and more of Regina’s torso. The flash of black lace as the sides of the blouse separate has Emma clenching her thighs together, the fire there steadily building. When the last button has been undone she pulls the shirt from where it is tucked into her black pencil skirt and shimmies it off her shoulders.

“Feeling better yet?” She asks with a wink.

“A little. But I’m in soooo much pain, you should continue.”

Next she reaches around to the back of her skirt and unzips it, letting it fall to the floor, Emma’s pupils are slowly taking over the green in her eyes as she takes in the Goddess wearing only her matching black lace underwear. “Your turn,” she declares as she pulls on the hem of Emma’s skinny jeans. The blonde quickly gets the hint and lifts her bum off the bed so she push the dark blue denim past her hips until Regina is able pull them all the way off. As she’s doing that Emma has already pulled her tight black tee from her upper body, leaving her in matching white sports bra and boy shorts. “Come here, Miss Swan,” she orders in her Mayoral, no nonsense voice.

Emma scrambles to the end of the bed and sits on her knees in front of Regina. The brunette wraps her hands around the nape of her neck and pulls her in for a kiss, meeting her halfway. 

Emma places her hands on curvy hips and lightly squeezes the flesh beneath her fingertips as a she parts her lips to accept Regina into her mouth. The feel of her warm tongue against her own sends a new wave of wetness to her already damp underwear. Emma slides her hands up Regina’s body until she’s squeezing her breasts through lace and running her fingers over the nipples underneath until they can’t get any harder. The brunette is moaning into her mouth as Emma’s hands become more demanding. The blonde slips a hand around to the clasp at the back and unclips it before pulling the straps down tanned arms. Regina untangles her hands from the blonde locks at Emma’s neck and lets her bra fall off her arms and to the floor.

Emma kisses down her jawline and neck, over her collarbones and to her breasts. She takes one nipple into her mouth and runs her tongue over it, Regina holds the back of her head, keeping it pressed to her chest. She pulls back, sucking on the nub before she moves to the other one, laving it with the same attention as its twin. The throbbing between her legs is becoming almost painful and she wants to stick her own hand into her underwear but instead she kisses lower and lower until she’s inhaling Regina’s most private scent and kissing the wet patch on her lace panties. Nails are digging into her skull in the most delicious way as she sucks on the wet material.

Regina lets this continue for a little bit longer before she decides to take control again. “Oh Emma…mmm…get on your back.” It takes all of her willpower to not let the blonde tongue fuck her as she stands there, but this was supposed to be about her taking care of Emma. 

The blonde is reluctant to stop, eating out Regina is her favourite thing in the world after all, but she does as she’s told as lays on her back.

Regina whimpers at the sight of Emma laying against the pillows, her abs rising and falling quickly with her breathing, her hard nipples poking against the material of her bra, but most of all because of the wet patch at the front of her boy shorts. She kneels on the bed and crawls up Emma’s body on her hands and knees until she’s hovering above her. 

“Is it still hurting? Would you like me to kiss you better now?”

“Yes. It hurts so bad,” she whinges, but she isn’t talking about the stitches and they both know it.”

Regina kisses the tip of her nose then across her cheek until she planting the most delicate kisses around the edge of the ban-aid. “Feeling better yet?” 

“No, I need more. I think my injury is much worse than we thought.”

“Is that so?”

“Uh-huh.” She nods.

“So what do you think will make it better?”

“More kisses… and lower,” she adds quietly, like she was embarrassed to suggest it.

“I guess it’s worth a shot. This is for your health after all.”

She places soft, wet kisses down her throat, letting her tongue sneak out to flick over her lovers skin. When she reaches Emma’s breasts she pushes the material of her sports bra up so she can suck on her sensitive nipples, scraping them with her teeth in the way Emma loves. The blonde is writhing beneath her, small desperate whimpers escaping her lips as she paws at Regina’s bottom. 

Emma pulls the lower half brunette down against her so she can grind herself against her pussy, desperately seeking the smallest flicker of relief for the hot throbbing between her legs.

“Please, baby.” She begs the brunette.

She wants to torment the blonde some more but she can never resist her begging and she is just as needy to have her in her mouth. She slithers down her body, dragging her tongue over muscled flesh as she leaves a wet trail down the centre of her abs in her wake.

Regina wastes no time in ridding the blonde of her soaked underwear as she peels it down strong thighs. Emma spreads her legs so Regina can comfortably lay down between them. The brunette mewls at the sight and smell of what Emma is offering her. She is wet and swollen, her blonde curls darker than usual because of the liquid heat they are bathed in.

The brunette looks up at Emma who is looking back down at her, her lip caught between her teeth, fists balled into the sheets as if to stop herself from forcing the brunettes mouth to her centre. The silent pleading of her eyes has Regina dipping her head and sucking on the flesh of her tensed inner thighs, leaving dark marks as she gets closer and closer to her throbbing core.

Plump lips part as her tongue snakes out to flick against the swollen nub that is peaking out above it’s hood. Emma moans, which encourages Regina to repeat the action a few more times. Emma is thrusting her hips towards the warm mouth of her lover so Regina wraps her arms around the blondes thighs, her hands spread over the prominent abs in an effort to hold her down. She drags her tongue down to Emma’s clenching entrance and circles the opening with the tip of her warm tongue before sinking it deep inside.

“Holy fuck!” Emma groans a bit too loudly. She grabs a pillow and holds it over her own face to muffle the noise she’s making.

Still gripping onto the blondes hips she pushes her tongue in deeper and flicks at the front wall of her entrance. Emma’s thighs immediately clamp around her head and not even Regina’s hands pressing down on her torso can stop her canting them upwards as she fucks herself on the strong muscle inside of her. 

Regina can feel her lovers wetness dripping down her chin as she moves her tongue along Emma’s slick, throbbing walls at different speeds and rhythms. Resigning herself to the fact that she can’t hold down Emma’s body she slips one of her hands from her abs and to her clit.

“Fuck yes!” Is groaned into the pillow over her face when she feels Regina’s nimble fingers toying with her clit. Regina is working her higher and higher as sweat begins to prickle her skin, a little from exertion but mostly from the electricity thrumming through her veins. She removes one of her hands from the pillow and places it in the back of Regina’s head, pressing her a little harder to her core as she feels herself nearing orgasm.

Regina can feel the blondes channel clenching harder around her tongue as the rest of her body twitches just as strongly. A few more thrusts of Emma’s hips against her mouth, as she increases the pressure of her fingers on her clit, has the blondes entire body stiffening and arching off the bed, as she moans her release into the pillow and into Regina’s mouth. Regina helps her ride it out by not stopping her tongue or fingers, just slowing them down until she’s drawn out every last flicker of pleasure from her body. Emma’s thighs are still clamped around her head and her hand is still in her hair as her body begins to relax in the after waves of pleasure.

Regina gently licks away the wetness seeping from the blonde, who eventually lets her legs fall back against the bed when even the lightest of touches becomes too much for her.

“Come here, baby,” she says as she tries to catch her breath. 

Regina crawls up her lovers body with a wicked smile on her face, feeling very pleased with herself for making her extremely physically fit girlfriend breathless. She brushes away blonde hair that is clingy to a sweaty forehead. “How are you feeling now?”

“Never better,” she replies with a dopey, sex induced grin covering her face. “I get one of those per stitch right?”

“If you play your cards right.” Regina replies before leaning in for a slow kiss, making Emma taste herself on her tongue.

“Worried you don’t have the stamina for another three?” Emma teases.

“It’s not my stamina I’m worried about, darling,” she replies as she wipes a bead of sweat from the blondes neck.

“I can handle whatever you throw my way,” she says with a wink.

“Well, then, one down, three to go.”


	18. Everything I never knew I needed

Emma woke up feeling happier than she could ever remember, the warmth of a naked Regina half laying on her, and the sound of Henry happily playing with his cars in his room was everything she never knew she needed. She also never knew her body could ache and feel so relaxed at the same time. Regina had made good on her word and Emma had forgotten all about her injury and probably wouldn’t have been able to say her own name if anyone had asked what it was after her fourth round of pleasure with the brunette.

 

Regina’s gentle, steady breathing tickles Emma’s neck and the tanned leg between her own provides a light pressure against her core. As satisfied as Regina had left her feeling last night, it was impossible to not get turned on by the naked beauty pressed against her. There isn’t a lock on her bedroom door so all she can do is hope than Henry doesn’t barge in any time soon.

 

Emma runs her hand down the brunettes back and under the sheet that is draped above her backside. She squeezes the firm globe of flesh and feels her own centre throb when she does. Her other hand snakes under the cover and squeezes the brunettes other bum cheek. Her eyes close in pleasure as she gently massages the flesh in her palms. A small whimper that escapes from the brunettes plump lips has her own hips pushing up from the bed. She slips her right hand further down to the back of Regina’s thigh and then between her legs, she has to bite her lip to stop a moan escaping as her fingertips brush against the warm wetness of Regina’s labia. She runs her fingertips through the wetness a few times, unintentionally stirring Regina awake.

 

Regina slowly rouses from her slumber to an increasing tightness in her lower belly. It takes her a few seconds to work out where she is and what’s happening. Her eyes blink open and she lifts her head to see Emma below her, the blondes eyes are closed and her top lip is caught tightly between her teeth.

 

“Mmm,” she groans into the blondes neck as she pushes back against Emma’s incessant fingers, she can hear Henry playing in his room so she does her best to swallow the moan that emanates from deep with her chest when the blonde slips two fingers inside of her from behind. Her walls clench tightly against the welcome intrusion and she pushes further down on the digits, taking them as deep as she can. “Fuck me, Emma,” she commands through a whisper before latching her lips to the juncture between the blondes neck and shoulder. She sucks and licks at the pale skin below her lips as Emma pumps her fingers inside of her.

 

Regina pushes back against the fingers filling her every time Emma thrusts them inside of her, angling her hips so that the blonde hits her sweet spot on every thrust. 

 

Emma is so thankful that her bed doesn’t squeak, especially when Regina starts speeding up her hips. 

 

“Kiss me, baby, please,” Emma begs. Regina detaches her mouth from the skin she’s sucking on and pushes herself up on her arms so she can reach the blondes mouth. Emma wastes no time in pushing her tongue past plumps lips and kissing her girlfriend deeply as she continues to finger her from behind and squeeze her bum.

 

Regina presses down hard against Emma’s thigh, her stimulated nub rubbing against the strong muscle beneath the pale skin of her thigh. All of the wetness dripping from her core makes it glide with a perfect fiction against the strong leg.

 

Emma swallows all the moans and whimpers that pour into her mouth from Regina as the brunette thrusts faster and faster against the fingers inside of her and the thigh below her. The only real noise in the room is the sound her fingers make when they squelch inside of Regina’s dripping wet centre. When Emma sucks on her tongue, Regina stiffens, her walls flutter against Emma’s fingers as they clench strongly around the digits. The blonde lets Regina take her time as she rides out the orgasm before slumping down on top of Emma, breathless and a little sweaty. Emma doesn’t remove her fingers until every little twinge and spasm in Regina’s core has petered out.

 

“Good morning, Miss Swan,” Regina happily mumbles against Emma’s chest.

 

“Good morning,” Emma replies as she kisses the top of Regina’s head, “as much as I would like to stay like this we should probably get up now. I’m surprised Henry hasn’t barged in already.”

 

“He’s too busy playing in his cool room with his new cars.” Regina says as she looks up at the blonde. “Thank you for doing that for him, it was sweet of you to go to all of that trouble.”

 

“It was no trouble. I’m just glad he likes it." Regina reaches up and sweetly kisses the thoughtful blonde. "So, I was thinking, because I still have to work next week, maybe we could take it easy today? We can go out for breakfast and there’s an automobile museum on the outskirts of the city, I think Henry will like it. What do you think?”

“Sounds wonderful, darling. Are we still okay to join you at work?” Emma was only able to get the second week off but Regina and Henry would come along with her to work in the first week so they could both try a few sessions, in preparation for the camping trip she had planned for them in the last week of their stay with her. Emma had arranged it with her colleagues so that her guests could join in with all the different sessions, but Gold didn't know anything about it. He would not be happy with anyone getting free sessions.

 

“Yep, it’s all sorted. Sorry, I couldn’t get that week off with you too.”

 

“Don’t be, I’m sure Henry will love all the different activities.”

 

After a few more minutes of cuddling and gentle kisses, they get up and Emma goes to play with Henry in his room whilst Regina showers. When she’s finished Emma goes for a shower whilst Regina gets herself and Henry ready for the day. Henry is happy enough to put away his toys and get ready when Regina tells him they would be going to see all the different vehicles at the museum.

 

Emma drives them to her local diner a few blocks away for their breakfast. When they were all seated in a booth Emma tries to persuade Henry to try the waffles. “I think you should try them, Henry. They are really reeeeally good.” She drags out the word like a frustrated child.

 

“But I want pancakes,” he protests.

 

“Okay, how about if we share some pancakes and waffles?” She tries to bargain with him.

 

“No, I always get pancakes when we go out.”

 

“Okay, okay,” she concedes as she holds her hands up in surrender, “but when my delicious waffles arrive you won’t be allowed any.”

 

Regina sits back and listens to the silly conversation between her son and girlfriend, if she closed her eyes she would think it was a conversation between two children.

 

When the waitress comes to take their order, they let Henry place his own order, “pancakes and apple juice, please.”

 

Regina orders a black coffee, wholemeal toast and a fruit salad. Emma’s order takes a little longer to real off, “I will have a large cappuccino, the extra-large deluxe waffle special with a side of bacon, sausage and hash browns… oh, and a mushroom omelette, thanks.” The extra-large deluxe waffle special was to make Henry jealous and the rest was to tempt Regina to have something tastier than what she had ordered for herself. 

“Are a family of elephants joining us for breakfast?” The brunette asks Emma, taken aback at the mass of food the blonde had ordered.

 

“No, I’m just really hungry this morning. Any idea why that might be?” She questions the brunette with a smirk on her face.

 

“I will never know how you have a six pack,” the brunette replies.

 

“I get enough exercise,” the blonde quips with a wink.

 

When the food arrives, which takes the waitress two trips, because of the amount the blonde has ordered, Henry’s eyes go as wide as saucers when he sees Emma’s waffles. There are four waffles, served on an oval plate that is twice the size of the normal plates, and on top of the mountain of waffles is a pile of strawberries, blueberries and bananas which is then topped with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and crushed nuts. They make Henry’s small stack of pancakes that have strawberries and a dusting of icing sugar, look like a poor man’s snack.

 

“Would you like the syrup, Henry?” Regina offers as she holds it out for him.

“Yes, please,” he replies as he takes it from her with a little less enthusiasm than usual.

 

“Mmm, these are good,” Emma says after swallowing down a forkful of waffle and whipped cream, “how are your pancakes?”

 

He looks from his untouched pancakes to the pile of diabetes inducing food in front of Emma. “Can we still share the waffles?” He asks meekly. 

 

“But you said you didn’t want any, you told me before that pancakes are better than waffles,” she says with a teasing glint in her eye.

 

Regina would have never let him order anything as extravagant as the waffles in front of Emma but she enjoys the back and forth banter between them too much to interfere. Plus, she’s too busy eyeing up the omelette Emma had also ordered.

 

“But maybe I should try the waffles so I know which ones are better for sure,” he innocently states. Emma reaches over and pushes the pancakes to the side of his plate before placing a waffle on his plate and scooping loads of the toppings on it. “Thanks, Emma,” he says excitedly before digging in.

 

“I hope you know he won’t be allowed to eat like this for the next two weeks,” Regina whispers into Emma’s ear.

 

“It’s just a little treat. I’ve missed him. Eat your breakfast, beautiful.” She nudges the cheese laden mushroom omelette towards the brunette, knowing she was too sensible with what she ate to have ordered it for herself.

 

After breakfast they drive to the automobile museum which Henry really did love. They were allowed to sit in most of the different vehicles, the ones that weren’t cordoned off because they were worth a lot, at least. They took selfies of them all together in a police car, an ambulance, a fire truck, and many more, even a race car, which Henry was particularly excited about and told everyone within earshot that he owned a racing driver uniform. The combination of a sugary breakfast and a visit to see the vehicles caused Henry to be louder and more hyperactive than Emma had ever seen him before. 

 

It was because of that he quickly fell asleep in Emma’s car on the way home. “The kid can’t handle a whole day with me without needing a nap, just like his mom who can’t handle a night with me without falling asleep,” Emma smugly states to Regina in the passenger seat.

 

“It wasn’t me who fall asleep first, darling,” Regina retorts.

 

Emma cheeks pinken at having the truth thrown back at her at how she pretty much passed out after her fourth orgasm the night before.

 

When they get back to the apartment they put Henry in his bed to continue with his nap as they go through the dozens of pictures they each took on their phones that day. Emma made a mental note to buy a photo album and get all the pictures printed out.

 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

When Monday morning came around they were all ready to leave on time to travel to Gold’s Outdoor Pursuit Centre, after a hearty and healthy breakfast of porridge. It had taken a little convincing for Henry to agree to it after the waffles he’d had for breakfast on Saturday and then the eggs and soldiers he’d had on Sunday, but Emma had told him it was the best food he could have for the active day ahead and of course that was enough to make Henry compliant, he trusted her implicitly. 

 

When they arrived at the centre Regina took Henry to the small adventure playground but only after Emma had promised him that she would come back as soon as she could so they could complete it together.

 

The blonde made her way into the staff room to get her rota to see when she would have Henry or Regina in her sessions. She had told Graham the week before that she would be happy with a mix of adult and child sessions, which the bearded man was surprised at but luckily he had taken notice of what she said and had given her a mixture of sessions. She also picked up a copy of the overall rota for all the different sessions for the week, to give to Regina so she would know the options she and Henry would have.

 

Then she went looking for Ruby, who she found in front of the coffee machine. “Hey Rubes, did you get the key?”

 

“Hey Ems. How are the stitches?” The brunette asks as she digs into the pocket on the side of her shorts and pulls out a small silver key with a plastic fob on it. 

 

“They are fine, thanks.”

 

“Here you go, Swan.”

 

“You are a star. Thank you for getting it on such short notice.”

 

“I know I am. So what do you need it for? Is it in case you two lovebirds want to sneak away for a bit of afternoon fun?” She says with a wink.

 

“No… but now that you mention it…” Emma ponders with a cheeky grin on her face. “I just realised that it might be too much for them to do every session every day so now,” she holds up the key she had just taken from Ruby, “they have somewhere to chill during the day if they’re tired. Thanks again, Rubes. I’ll see you later.”

 

She runs off and finds her two loves at the adventure playground, Henry jumps off the balance beam he was on and runs to her as soon as he sees her. 

 

“Emma, Emma, let’s go on the ropes, mommy said I couldn’t go on there without you.” He pulls at her hand when he reaches her, trying to direct her to the climbing net.

 

“One second, Buddy, let me just give these to your mom,” she holds up the rota’s, “then I will have my hands free to climb.”

 

“Okay, I’ll go wait by the ropes.” He races off towards the climbing net as Emma sits next to Regina on the bench the brunette is perched on. 

 

“Hey, beautiful,” she gives the brunette a chaste kiss on the lips once she was sure there was no one else around, “here is my rota for the week and here’s the overall session rota for the week. I’ve told everyone that you and Henry will be here and that you’ll choose which classes you want to go to, Mr Gold doesn't know you guys are here so we still have to be careful."

"I don't know why you won't just let me pay to be here for the week, instead of us having to sneak into the sessions."

"No way, I'm not letting you pay to come and spend time with me. I feel guilty enough that I have to work when you are here. Besides, we all do it. Everyone has had family or friends come here for free. As long as we keep it from Gold it won't be a problem."

"I feel like a petty criminal," she says it seriously but she says it with a smile.

"If you want me to punish you for being a bad girl you only have to say," the blonde teases. "Anyway at the start of each session you will just have to sign Henry and yourself in on the register, for health and safety. I managed to get you this,” she passes Regina the key which has a number four on the plastic fob, “it’s a key for one of the staff cabins so that if you or Henry don’t want to do any of the sessions or he needs a nap you can go and use it.”

“Thank you. I was a bit concerned that it would be too much for Henry to do the sessions all day.”

 

“No Problem. I had better go help Henry with the climbing net before I have to go to my first session. If I don’t see you in any of my sessions I’ll find you in the canteen at lunch?”

 

“Okay,” Regina says before kissing Emma again.

 

“Right, I hope you are feeling strong,” Emma says to Henry as she walks over to him.

 

She lets him climb up each netted step and when he gets to the height of her head she starts climbing just behind him so if he did slip or fall she would be right there to catch him. When he gets to the top, Emma quickly climbs over the wooden beam so that she can make it to the other side before he can, again, so she can catch him in case he falls on his way down on the other side. 

 

When they get to the bottom she cheers him and gives him a high five.

 

“Mommy, did you see me? Did you see how high I went?” He asks excitedly.

 

“Yes, I did, Well done!” She praises him.

 

Emma says her goodbyes and makes her way to her adult paddle boarding session, she hopes Regina will join her but she assumes that her girlfriend would be taking Henry to Ashley’s nature walk that starts a little later on. 

 

When there was still no sign of Regina ten minutes after Emma’s class had started she resigned herself to the fact that she must have taken Henry on the nature walk, which meant she wouldn’t see either of them until lunchtime. Even though it made her a little sad that she wouldn’t see either of them again that morning, she knew that they would love the nature trail. It was aimed at younger children, they would walk a small trail that went through the forest and into a small meadow, as they tried to spot various flora and fauna. They would be given cards with pictures of all the different things they had to spot and the parents would have to tick off each picture when they saw the plant or wildlife. She could imagine how excited Henry would get every time he spotted one of the pictures on the cards. With a sigh she tries to concentrate on the session she is running in the hopes it would make lunchtime come quicker.

 

It didn’t help because the morning felt like it had dragged. By the time lunch came around it felt to Emma like she hadn’t seen them in days. She had cut her last session before lunch a little short so she could get to the canteen as quickly as possible. By the time she gets there most of the sessions are still going on so it was fairly quiet and it didn't take her too long to spot the two Mills’ in an alcove at the back of the canteen. She rushes over to sit with the two of them, who are alone on the table with the cards from Ashley’s walk splayed out in front of them. It took all of her willpower to not bend down and kiss Regina but she knew she couldn’t risk in when she was in uniform and there was people around them.

 

“It looks like you guys had an interesting morning,” she says as she takes a seat at the table.

 

“Hi, Emma. Look at all the plants and animals we found,” Henry says as he begins to happily show her the cards and tells her what each one is. 

 

Emma and Regina share a smile as Henry goes through each card in as much detail as he can remember. Once he has finished telling her about each card they line up to get their lunch. As they are eating, Regina and Emma discuss which sessions the two brunettes would be taking for the rest of the week, with the odd interruption from Henry when he got a bit excited about the things they would be doing. Emma is happy that she would be getting at least one session a day with each of them. She was ecstatic to learn that they would both be joining her for the last session of the day; archery.

 

After they finish their lunch, Emma excuses herself so she can go and help Ruby set up for their 'Crash and Splash' water assault course, Regina was steadfast in her refusal to participate in that activity. When Emma gets to the assault course Ruby was already sorting through the life vests and helmets in preparation for the next group to arrive.

 

"Hey, Rubes."

 

"Ems, thank god, I had tried to come and talk to you over lunch but you were with Regina and the kid and I didn't want to interrupt," the brunettes says in a hurry as she stops what she's doing.

"What do you need to talk to me about?"

"Lilly's here!"

"What? Where is she?" The blonde can feel her blood pressure rising.

"I don't know. I’m not sure if she recognised me from the other night and it’s all just a coincidence that she’s here this week. I tried to get her to leave but apparently she’s paid to be here and she threatened to report me so I just told her you weren’t in this week.”

“Shit. It won’t be a coincidence. Lily was never the outdoorsy type,” Emma sighs as she drags her hand through her hair in frustration, “how the hell does she even know where I work?”

“Staaalkerrrr,” Ruby sings high pitched, without any amusement in her voice.

“I don’t care if she had paid to be here, if she tries anything with Henry and Regina here, I’ll drag her out of the gates myself.”

“I wouldn’t worry. Regina could probably make her pee her pants and wither on the spot with one steely glare.”

Nothing was funny about this situation but Emma couldn’t help but snort in amusement, she knew it was true and it was something she found to be crazy hot about her girlfriend. One of her signature stares could stop an ogre in its tracks. Emma was so glad she had never been on the receiving end of one, but had witnessed it a few times.

She went to print off the list of attendees for the session and was relieved to not see Lily’s name on it. Her nerves didn’t completely vanish until the class had started and she had ticked everyone off the list, no she-devil in sight.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Her respite was short lived when she printed off the rota for the archery class, the very last name on the list stood out above all the others, the damn woman had probably found out Emma was teaching that class and got onto it that very afternoon. Her mind sped through her options; she could try to get someone else to teach it, but that would mean Regina and Henry would still be there and she wouldn’t see them. She could feign sickness and get them all to go home early but Gold definitely wouldn’t take kindly to that and would probably watch her so closely that there was no way she could leave with the two brunettes. She decided she had to suck it up and just try to speak to Regina before the session began.

Her stomach was in knots as she walked over to the archery field, this wasn’t going to go well. The tension in the pit of her stomach momentarily eases off when she hears Henry call her name as he runs towards her, Regina walking further behind, she was way too classy to be seen running.

“Emma!”

“Hey, buddy!” She happily greets him as she picks him up.

“Mommy said we are going to your class now.”

“That’s right. I’m going to teach you to shoot an arrow just like Snow White.”

“Really?” He looks at her with wonder written all across he happily little face, like everything she did was just the best thing in the world.

“Yep,” she lowers him down as Regina finally catches up with them, “I need an assistant, do you think you could be my assistant today?”

“YES!” He practically screams in excitement at being of some use to his best friend. “I can be your assistant.”

“Great! I need you to go on that field and count how many steps long it is, okay? So we know how far we have to stand away when we shoot the arrows.”

“Okay,” he answers before running over to the field.

“That’s an exercise in futility if ever I’ve seen one,” Regina says with an arched eyebrow that silently asks the blonde what the point in it is.

Emma sighs in resignation and takes a great interest in a pebble on the path that her foot involuntarily starts toying with. “I needed to speak to you alone before the class starts.”

“What’s going on, Emma?” The brunette asks in her no nonsense Mayoral voice that the blonde only likes to hear in the bedroom.

She decides to grab the bull by the horns, no other way really works with Regina. “Ruby told me that Lily is here and she’s looking for me.” It doesn’t bode well for her that Regina’s lips tighten and the skin around the outside of her eyes crinkle as the brown orbs narrow. “And… she’s on the list for this class,” Emma gestures with the list in her hand towards the field behind them where Henry is still counting his steps across it.

She’s not sure how to feel when Regina’s lips spread into a devilish smirk and her eyes gleam with… mirth, she thinks. “Good, I was worried this class would be boring but not so much now,” she strolls past Emma towards the field where he son is currently counting out loud.

“Wait, you thought my class was going to be boring?”

Regina simply looks back over her shoulder and gives a playful wink.

Emma feels mainly relieved that Regina isn’t pissed, but the knots in her stomach are back with vengeance at not knowing what her girlfriend was scheming. Regina may have had the face and body of someone that was handcrafted by God himself, but her mind, well, that was all Satan.

Emma set up the targets on the field, all the time praising Henry for his impeccable counting skills. More and more attendees had gathered around the edge of the field and Emma almost trips over her own feet when she sees Lily mingling in the crowd. She looks over towards Regina but she was too caught up in talking with Henry to have noticed the blondes nervous stumble.

Her eyes dart towards Lily again and this time the pair of bland, almost dull, brown eyes are staring back at her. Lily takes a step forward as if to walk towards Emma who is a good ten meters or so away, so the blonde quickly grabs the folded up list from her back pocket.

“Hello everyone,” she shouts out to get everyone’s attention, “my name is Emma and I will be your archery coach for the next hour. I will read out your names and if you could please answer so I know that I have everyone I should have.” She reels off the list in a loud commanding voice and ticks off each name when they are answered, it’s only when she gets to the last name does her voice waiver a little, like it’s a dirty word she doesn’t want to say in front of the children that are present. “Lily Page?” She asks it like a question, just as she did with every other name on the list.

Regina had already deduced who Lily was by the simple fact she was the only one there without a partner or children and of course the way she stared at Emma totally gave it away.

“Here, Coach Emma,” she says in an almost seductive voice that sends the blonde into a fierce blush that could easily be mistaken for a bad case of sunstroke. 

If Regina didn’t think it would get Emma fired she would start making out with her there and then, just to let Lily know that Emma was not an option to her.

Emma was keen to get on with things and so gets everyone on the field and begins by describing the equipment, it is pretty straight forward, there was only two pieces of kit after all, a bow, and a an arrow without a point, for health and safety reasons. Then she gives a demonstration and hits the target with the accuracy of someone that has done this class a hundred times already. She then tells everyone to break up into groups of four and to stand in the designated lanes, each having a target about five meters away, to begin with. 

Everyone starts taking turns within their group to shoot an arrow, nearly all of them missing the target completely to begin with. Emma automatically goes to Regina and Henry who have teamed up with a young couple who are there on holiday. Henry hadn’t managed to even shoot his arrow half way to the target, he was by far the youngest there and even the child sizes bow and arrow seemed much too big for him. Emma kneels down behind him and helps him position it correctly, places his hands where they should be, her hands next to his the whole time, as it is her strength that is pulling the arrow back against the string of the bow.

“On the count of three I want you to let go of the arrow, okay buddy?” He nods his head, to engrossed in what he is doing to talk, his tongue poking out the side of his mouth in determined concentration. “One… two… three…” They both let go at the same time and the arrow, doesn’t exactly whiz through the air, but it does hit the red centre of the target. He happily jumps from one foot to the other as everyone in his group cheers and claps for him.

A voice from behind them quickly has her mood turning sour, “could you show me how to do that?” 

Emma’s eyes close in quiet resignation when she sees Lily standing there, actually fluttering her damn eyelashes. 

“I can show you exactly what to do with that,” Regina states, her nostrils flare as she steps towards the brunette. Lily looks quite taken aback but then just focusses on her ex again.

The blonde quickly stands up and moves so she is slightly in front of Regina, “I’ll be around to your group just as soon as I can.” Lily sighs but walks back to her group.

“Do you have any arrows with actual tips on them?” Regina whispers to Emma as she stares at the retreating form of her girlfriends ex.

Emma shakes her head with a half-smile and moves to the next group, a family of four who are all as equally bad as each other at shooting arrows.

Regina can’t take her eyes off Lily, not only does the cheeky cow have the audacity to show up at Emma’s work but she stands in front of her, all sweetness and light, not even acknowledging the injury she has caused the blonde. She tries to block it out and focusses on helping Henry for now. She couldn’t help but be a little amused by her girlfriends stalling tactics, she can tell the blonde is purposely trying to take as long as she can in each group just so she can draw out not helping Lily for as long as possible.

Eventually she reaches Lily’s group and has to reluctantly help her. She keeps a more than professional distance and instructs her on how to hold the bow and arrow but doesn’t lift a finger to actually help her position it. She keeps looking over her shoulder to Regina as if to make sure her girlfriend can see she wasn’t doing anything she shouldn’t be. Each time she looks at her, the brunettes eyes are trained on Lily and not her.

“So who’s the brunette giving me evils?” Lily questions, obviously not interested in actually learning how do anything Emma was teaching her.

“Place your hand further back on the arrow,” Emma instructs, ignoring the conversation Lily is trying to strike up.

“Why are you being like this, Emmie? Is it because of the knock to your head? That wasn’t even my fault.”

“Okay, that’s all we have time for today,” Emma shouts out after looking at her watch, “please put all the arrows in a pile here and the bows over there,” she says pointing to a space on the grass besides her.

They all do as she says and thank her as they leave. Lily hangs back, much to her annoyance. She glances to where Regina and Henry are collecting the leftover arrows that are either embedded in the targets or strewn over the field from the failed attempts of the attendees. 

“Are you free to grab a drink with me, Emmie?” Lily asks when the last of the guests had left. 

“No, I’m going home with my girlfriend and her son,” she answers without looking at her as she gathers up the arrows and bags them.

“Shit, you were serious about having a girlfriend?”

“Yes, so please go away. I meant what I said the other night, I want nothing to do with you.” 

“Are you still here?” Regina asks as she approaches them, exasperated by her mere presence. Henry is still on the field, apparently counting how many steps there are around the entirety of it.

“Me and Emmie were just about to go for a drink.” 

Regina’s face contorts in disgust at the stupid nickname she had for her girlfriend.

“I said no,” Emma protests, taking a step closer to Regina, which was a step further away from her fantasist of an ex.

“You can’t really be choosing this old hag and some little brat over me,” she overconfidently states.

“I’ve had enough of this. It’s time for you to go,” Regina says in no uncertain terms.

“I’m choosing the two greatest loves of my life over you,” the blonde says as her spine straightens and she pushes her shoulders back. “I’d choose my beautiful girlfriend and her wonderful, chatty son over anyone or anything every day of my life. Do you want to know why?” Her confidence grows as everything she has wanted to say to Regina comes to the forefront. “Because for the first time in my life I know what love feels like. I finally know how it feels to know that someone has my back and won’t just drop me when something better comes along for the night. I have a home for the first time in my life, it might be hundreds of miles from where I actually live but it is a home I am always welcome in. I have somewhere I belong, but do you know what? I am thankful for my time with you.” Regina’s brows scrunch together in confusion as to what Emma was getting at. “I’m thankful because it taught me what love definitely isn’t. It isn’t asking myself what I did wrong to make you cheat on me. It isn’t feeling lonely when you’re laying in bed with your partner. Love is eating pancakes you really don’t like, love is spending your lunch hour running miles and then picking the most colourful flowers you can find just in the hope of eliciting the most beautiful smile you have ever seen on the most beautiful face you have ever seen.” She looks at Regina, who is stunned, and smiles at her before reaching for her hand and brining it to her lips to kiss. 

Regina is trying to process everything the blonde has just said but all she wants to do is kiss her, so that’s exactly what she does. When it becomes obvious that tongues are becoming involved, Lily huffs out a noise that is tantamount to disgust and grumbles, “whatever,” and turns to walk away.

“Yeah, so piss off,” Regina rather ineloquently adds when she pulls back from the addictive lips of the blonde. It wasn’t her best work but she always has to have the last word in any argument.


	19. Best present ever.

The ride back to Emma’s was tense, a happy sort of tense, but tense nonetheless. They hadn’t had a chance to discuss everything Emma had said to Lily before Henry came running over to them to declare his hunger. 

The young boy was kicking his feet in the space between his seat and the back of Emma’s as he names everything he wanted to eat for dinner. Emma had suggested they go out for dinner but Regina was adamant they need to eat healthier after their weekend of eating whatever they had wanted, also, she wasn’t about to let Emma’s effort to go grocery shopping go to waste.

When they get back to Emma’s apartment Regina goes straight to the kitchen to see what she could make them for dinner. Henry heads for his cars and Emma follows Regina. 

“No, no, no, no, no,” the blonde repeats as she takes the sweet potatoes from Regina, “you are not cooking when you are here. You are my guests, I can do this.”

“But I always do the cooking,” the brunette protests.

“Yeah, because you are a control freak and you don’t like the idea of me messing up your kitchen.”

“And because I don’t want food poisoning,” she mumbles under her breath.

“I heard that!” Emma exclaims, completely affronted. “I may not be at your level but I’ve gotten better, I’ve had a really good teacher,” she offers the brunette a wink. She grabs a glass and a bottle of Regina’s wine from the cupboard, “I want you to relax, watch some TV if you like,” she pours the wine and hands it to her girlfriend.

Regina takes a sip and sighs happily, her eyes close momentarily as the rich liquid coats her tongue. “I would rather stay here with you so we can talk.”

“You mean you would rather stay here so you can make sure I don’t screw up dinner,” Emma jokingly replies with her back to the brunette as she slices the sweet potatoes into wedges.

“That too,” the brunette laughs. She hops onto the kitchen counter next to Emma, earning a confused look from the blonde because Mayor Mills did not sit on kitchen counters like a commoner, Mayor Mills would sit on a chair, legs crossed, with perfect posture as if she were sitting on a throne.

“So, did you both enjoy the activities today?” Regina’s behaviour was putting her on edge, she was really hoping the brunette wasn’t about to tell her that this week wasn’t going to work for her.

Regina thought that if she tried to appear relaxed then maybe she would relax. She knew how she felt about Emma but she wasn’t sure how much of what Emma had said to Lily was true and how much was said just to piss off her ex and make her leave. “Yes, we did. Henry can’t wait for your canoe class tomorrow,” she says with a smile. “I think it would have been a perfect day if you-know-who hadn’t turned up and tried flirting with you,” the smile disappears from her face just thinking about Lily and she takes a large gulp of wine, partly because she wants the alcohol in her system and also because she wanted to keep her mouth busy so she doesn’t say something she shouldn’t.

Emma’s hands still at the mention of her ex and her inappropriate behaviour. “I’m sorry about that. I have no idea how she even found out I worked there,” she gives Regina a sad, apologetic smile. Then she grabs the next sweet potato and starts slicing that one too.

“It’s not your fault. I can’t say I really blame her for trying to get you back, and I can’t blame you for saying the stuff you said to get her to leave.” She takes another gulp of wine, silently chastising herself for being so insecure and desperately wanting the blondes reassurance.

It hits Emma like a train all of a sudden, she had said everything she felt and Regina has heard her but she had said it to Lily and not to the person she should have been saying it to. She really did live up to the blonde stereotype at times. “I shouldn’t have said those things…” Regina feels her gut clench and immediately hops off the counter, she needed air, she couldn’t listen to Emma take back the words that had made her so happy. The atmosphere in the room had changed in a split second. “Hey, stop,” the blonde pleads as she reaches for the brunettes wrist to stop her from storming out of the room, “let me finish what I was going to say, please?”

Regina stops and snatches her arm back, folding her arms tightly across her chest to protect herself from what she was about to hear.

“I was going to say, I shouldn’t have said those things to her first, I should have already told you how I feel ages ago.” The scowl on the brunettes face softens and Emma gently unravels her crossed arms, taking her hands in her own. “I am madly in love with you… and Henry,” she nods her head in the general direction of the young boys room. “I have a family for the first time in my life and they should have been the first ones to know how I feel. I’m so...”

Full lips press against hers before she can apologise again. She can feel the brunette smile into the kiss and it makes her smile in return. “Do you really mean it?” Regina asks as she stares into her lovers eyes, desperately searching for the truth. 

Emma had never seen Regina look so timorous. She knew Mal had really done a number on her but even she hadn’t realised just how bad it must have been. “Regina, Sweetheart, I’m so sorry if I haven’t shown you just how much you mean to me,” the takes the brunettes face in her hands, “I love you so much.” There was no doubting the sincerity in Emma’s eyes.

“I love you too.” 

“I loves you too, Emma,” a little voice squeals from behind them. They both look over to see Henry standing in the doorway, a toy car in his hand, as was standard for him. He looks a little disgruntled at not being included in their love-in.

She kneels down and opens her arms, encouraging him to come to her, which he immediately does. She wraps her hands around him and picks him up, hugging him to her chest. “I love you too, my little prince,” she says as she presses a kiss to his thick mop of brown hair as his little hands grip around her tightly.

“What about me?” Regina fake pouts.

“I love you too, mommy,” he lifts his head from Emma’s neck and puckers his lips for a kiss but makes no attempt to move from the blondes arms. Regina leans in to give him a kiss and Emma wraps an arm around her back and pulls her in for a hug too. 

“My family,” she proudly whispers into the brunettes ear.

After their dinner of sweet potato wedges and vegetable wraps, which neither Emma nor Henry were able to convince Regina to forego using cutlery to eat, they play one of the board games that Emma had specifically bought for their visit.

 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Henry was bouncing on the balls of his feet as he was waiting for the canoeing session to begin. Emma knew they had to be subtle about their connection, when they were in front of other guests, but when Henry began waving frantically and running towards her as she approached the canoe jetty, she had to pick him up and hug him, she was just as excited to see him after all. She wanted to do the same to Regina and feel her lovers legs wrap around her waist just as they had the night before, after they had put Henry to bed. Instead she settles from throwing her a wink and a smile.

Once the class list had been read through and everyone was ticked off, life vests were handed out. Emma and August stand in front of over twenty pairs of eyes, ready to give the safety induction. Normally the instructors would demonstrate on each other the correct way to secure the life vest around their bodies but today, Emma had other plans. 

“Today there is a very special guest in our midst, my assistant; Henry, who is going to help demonstrate the correct way to wear your life vest.” She shouts to the crowd as she walks over to the boy and holds her hand out to him. He takes her hand with a big smile on his face and walks with her to the front of the crowd. She squats down to his level, Regina licks her lips as the blondes shorts ride up her thighs, showing off her defined quads. Emma holds out the life vest and Henry puts his arms through each hole, just like when she helps him put his coat on. She zips in up at the front and then ties the ribbons in a double knot around his waist, for extra security. “You will all find a whistle on the left breast of the life vest. We,” she says pointing to herself and August, “will be watching you at all times but if for any reason you need our immediate attention please blow into your whistle and will be come straight over to you. My assistant is now going to demonstrate how to use the whistle,” she nods her permission to Henry. He takes a big breath and blows into the whistle with all his might. A high pitch blast sounds and Emma dramatically covers her ears, sending Henry into a fit of giggles. “I think my assistant deserves a big round of applause,” she directs to the class. They all clap him and even under his life vest Regina notices his little chest puff up in pride, the same way it always does when Emma praises him.

Once all the guests had gotten into their canoes and had set off on a paddle around the designated section of the lake, Emma helps Regina and Henry into theirs. Regina had purposely stayed back and let everyone else go first so she could get a minute with her girlfriend. Emma kneels on the side of the jetty and holds the canoe securely so Regina could climb into the backseat and then she helped Henry into the front one. 

“How about a race to the other side of the lake?” Emma challenges as she gets into her own canoe, more to Henry than Regina.

“Okay,” Henry readily agrees, “quickly mommy, let’s go!”

Regina gives her daggers, she was hoping for a scenic paddle on the lake and not a competition that she was bound to lose, but she starts paddling anyway, it wasn’t in her nature to back down from a challenge. Emma laughs at the glare she had earned from Regina and starts paddling behind them.

Regina has her sights set on the shoreline on the opposite side of the lake and paddles like crazy, slowly building up a bit of speed. Emma smiles as she watches them go, she purposely keeps a bit of distance between herself and the brunettes, and checks on the other guests when she crosses paths with them. When the distance between them grows and the canoe carrying her two loves is close to the finish line she picks up speed, her muscled arms and back making it an easy job of catching up to them in no time.

“Boo,” she shouts, giving Henry a little fright as she pulls up besides them, he had been too focussed on the finish line to have noticed her.

“Faster, mommy!”

Regina was concentrating just as hard as Henry was. Her hair was sticking to her sweaty forehead and the vein there was protruding below the skin, momentarily distracting the blonde with thoughts of their previous night tangled up in her bedsheets. She silently reprimanded herself to get her head out of the gutter when she was in work. 

“I’ll throw the race for a kiss,” the blonde jokes to Regina, her eyes not leaving her girlfriends beautiful face as she paddles next to them.

“No need,” the brunette breathlessly quips with an evil smirk on her lips.

Emma looks ahead for the first time since pulling up alongside them. “Oh, shit,” she spies a canoe with a couple of teenagers just idling a few meters directly in front of her. She quickly changes direction so she can get around them, losing valuable time and distance. 

“Yay,” she hears Henry shout just as their canoe reaches the shore. She hangs her head in shame as she gets there just a few seconds behind them.

“Would you look at that, the student becomes the master,” Regina teases.

“I don’t have time for games,” Emma feigns indignance before paddling away, smiling to herself when she hears them both cheering at their victory behind her. She was always going to let them win, she tries to convince herself.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The rest of the week went by far too quickly for both of the women, they were already half way through their time together. It had been a wonderful week though, almost like a dream. They would wake up in each other’s arms, spend lunchtimes and some classes together, they would cook side by side in the evening, then either play board games or go for a little stroll to a nearby park. Once Henry was in bed they would watch TV and talk before getting into bed and making love as if their short time together was all they would ever have. Emma was realising that she had only ever had a glimpse into what domesticity was like when she stayed with them at the weekends and now she was basking in the full flavour of it and she never wanted it to end.

This morning Emma was sitting cross legged in Henry’s room, playing cars with him whilst Regina was in the bathroom applying her make-up and styling her hair. 

They were going out for breakfast in the centre of Boston, where they would spend the rest of the day going shopping and then catching some new animated movie that Henry wanted to see. Regina was calling it their last day of civilisation before their camping trip in the boonies. Regina was only teasing Emma, she was looking forward to the trip that would just be the three of them, no schedules or obligations, they could do as they pleased. That didn’t mean she enjoyed the prospect of sleeping in a tent and not having running water or electricity. She had considered suggesting a week away in the Caribbean but Emma was really excited to be introducing them to a part of her life that she enjoyed so much, the outdoors in all its natural beauty.

Emma was a lot more restrained with her breakfast order than she had been the weekend before, the attention Regina liked to lavish on her abs with her mouth was enough for her to make sure she cut out the treats.

What are we going to eat when we are camping in the wilderness?” Regina asks after swallowing down a bite of her wholemeal toast.

“Whatever we catch,” Emma answers with a serious face.

“Whatever we catch?” Regina repeats, horror written all over her face as she waited for an explanation.

“Yeah, I’ll set some rabbit traps, and we can do some fishing,” she knew Regina was putting on a brave face about going camping in the first place because she really didn’t want to go, but Emma still decided she would have a little fun with the brunette.

“Emma Swan you had better not be serious,” she says sternly with her angry Mayor face.

“What’s wrong Madame Mayor, y’all too fancy for some barbequed squirrel?” She jokes in an over pronounced southern accent. She can’t help but laugh when she sees the realisation behind those dark eyes that she had been messed with. Henry joins in with her laughter, mainly because of the silly voice Emma had just done.

“Very funny, Miss Swan,” she huffs before taking an angry bite of her toast. Henry tries to imitate the way Emma had just said ‘squirrel’ but it comes out as complete nonsense, causing Regina to crack a smile.

“I promise you that all your culinary needs will be met, my darling. You don’t need to worry about a thing, trust me.” Emma reaches for her hand to give it a comforting squeeze.

She nods her head, she knows Emma will do her best to make it an amazing week but she was still full of trepidation. A wink from her girlfriend, who was doing more silly voices to make Henry laugh, was enough for her to shake away her concern, she was going to be spending a week with the two people she loved the most in the world, a possible sore back and flat, greasy hair was a small price to pay.

After Emma settles the bill they leave the café and walk down the street, Henry between them, holding onto each of their hands, enjoying the warm Summers day.

After a couple of hours of boring adult shopping, both Henry and Emma are getting impatient and agitated. 

“There are just a few more shops I want to go to, then we can go for lunch,” Regina tries to bargain with them when their annoyed huffing and puffing gets too much for her, “we don’t have this many stores in Storybrooke.”

“There’s an arcade a the end of the block, why don’t I take Henry there and you can finish shopping in peace,” Emma counters.

“Sounds like a good idea. I’ll come and find you when I’m done.” She easily agrees to the opportunity to shop in peace without them both complaining they are bored. Plus, one of the stores she wants to visit isn’t exactly child friendly.

The first thing Emma does in the arcade is split a twenty dollar note into change so they can use the various games and rides. She has to walk quickly to keep up with Henry who is running from one bright, noisy machine to another. Emma had spent a lot of her time in arcades when she was growing up, there was never anyone to stop her or to worry about where she was, but Henry had obviously never stepped foot inside one before.

He gasps in complete wonderment and presses his hands and face up against the glass panel of the claw grabber game, that contains plush toys from the ‘Cars’ movies that he loves. “Emma, it’s Lightning McQueen!” He merrily squeals.

She explains how the game works to Henry and then fishes a quarter out of her pocket and pops it into the slot. She hold him up so he can reach the levers and gently starts instructing him. It could be his lack of coordination or just his pure excitement but his first push of the lever sends it flying backwards and the claw descends into a space that is void of any plush toy. As the claw retracts, no item with its grasp, Henry’s little shoulders slump in disappointment.

“Don’t worry, buddy,” she tells him as she puts him back onto his feet and ruffles his hair, “It just takes a bit of practice.” She pops another quarter into the slot and with the expertise of someone who has played this game a thousand times, she hooks the plushie between the well-polished claws and drops it down into the opening at the front corner. Emma reaches in and pulls out the soft toy before handing it over to Henry.

“Thank you, Emma,” he beams as he holds Lightning McQueen to his chest.

All of Regina’s senses are assaulted when she steps into the arcade almost two hours later. It was not the sort of place she would usually take Henry, not that there was such an establishment in Storybrooke anyway. She walks around the various machines, sticking out like a sore thumb in hr expensive designer wear, until she spies her two loves. Henry is sitting in a space rocket ride and to her amusement, Emma is sitting in the seat behind him, her knees were practically around her ears and she sits in the tiny seat that is meant for a child. Regina drops her bags and whips out her phone to record the two of them giggling and whooping as the rocket rolls backwards and forwards with them inside of it.

“Excuse me, that ride is for children,” Regina says in the most serious voice she can muster.

Emma blushes at being caught in it but then she just sticks out her tongue and enjoys the last few seconds before it comes to an anticlimactic stop.

Regina hits the stop button on her phone, “that should come in nicely one day if I ever need to blackmail you,” she says before pocketing her phone with an evil smirk. Henry climbs out of his seat and runs over to Regina to show her his teddy and Emma all but falls out onto the floor in her struggle to escape the tight confines of the seat she had wedged herself in to. “It seems I stopped recording a bit too soon,” Regina laughs as she holds out her hand to help Emma off the floor.

After a day of retail therapy they find themselves lining up for tickets for the later afternoon viewing of the movie Henry was ecstatic to be going to watch. After a quick stop for snacks they were in the screening room looking for their seats.

“Hey, want to make out with me on the back row?” Emma quietly asks with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

Regina playfully rolls her eyes and directs what feels like her two children to their designated seats, Henry makes sure to sit in-between the both of them. Emma settles for stretching her arm over the back of Henry’s seat and resting her hand on Regina’s shoulder. The movie was the biggest pile of nonsense the blonde had ever seen but Henry enjoyed it so that was all that mattered.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“I’ve had a really good day,” Regina happily sighs as they cuddle on the couch after putting Henry to bed.

“Me too, beautiful.”

“Oh, I know you did. I have the proof on my phone,” she teases the blonde.

“I was just trying to entertain Henry,” Emma protests.

“That’s not the story he’s telling,” she teases her some more.

“Is that so, huh?” Before Regina can come up with another quip strong hands are on her sides tickling her. “Is that what he said or are you making stuff up?” Emma asks as she pushes the brunette onto her back and continues to tickle her. Regina is desperately trying to keep her laughter quiet so she doesn’t wake up Henry.

“Stop, stop. I was making it up,” she admits through her laughter.

“This is what happens to liars, so no more lying, Miss Mills. Capiche?” Emma explains as she straddles the brunettes thin waist. 

A well placed shove of her knee against the blondes bum has Emma falling forwards onto her hands, just inches away from tempting crimson lips.

“I bought you a present earlier but I don’t think you deserve it now for torturing me,” Regina says as innocently as she can.

Emma eyes her suspiciously, “a present?”

“Yep, if would be so kind as to remove yourself from me I will go and fetch it for you.”

“I think I would prefer to stay like this than get any present,” she says as she places a kiss against the brunettes chest.

That’s only because you don’t know what the present is,” the brunette replies with a wink.

Emma sits back, her curiosity getting the better of her. “I will use these for evil,” she says as she holds out her hands like claws, “if this present displeases me,” she says in mock warning.

“I’m certain it won’t displease you,” Regina softly kisses the blonde, gently nipping at her bottom lip before moving off the couch and going to her bedroom to retrieve the present.

A few minutes pass before Regina comes back out and leans against the doorframe of the bedroom, her black, satin robe loosely tied around her waist and hanging off one shoulder, revealing her bra strap. Black stockings adorned her legs, the outfit complete with black stilettos. “Once you pick your jaw off the floor why don’t you come and join me in the bedroom so you can unwrap your present,” she turns on her heels and sashays back into the bedroom.

“Shit,” Emma grumbles when she knocks her shin on the coffee table in her rush to get to the bedroom. She finds Regina laying against the pillows, a devilish smirk on her face. She climbs on the bed and hovers over the brunette, “best present ever,” she mumbles as she takes in her satin clad lover below her.

“How do you know that when you haven’t even unwrapped your present yet?” The brunette purrs as she teasingly twirls the tie of her robe.

With enthusiastic hands Emma reaches for the satin material and with a gentle tug, her gift is revealed to her. Regina’s bra has see-through cups that her dusky nipples are straining against. The stockings are attached to suspenders that hug her tanned thighs. “I stand corrected. This is the best present ever.”

“Less staring and more action, Miss Swan.” Regina purrs as she fists the collar of Emma’s tee and pulls her down against her and into a searing kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That wasn't intended to be offensive to anyone from the southern states. I had Sandy from SpongeBob on my mind. I'm the last person in the world who can take the piss out of accents :p


	20. Camping... kind of.

“Are you ready?” Emma asks as she stands in the doorway of her bedroom, looking at the brunette who is holding her make up bag and seems to be having an internal debate.

“Yes. I’m just not sure if I should take all of my make-up or just the basics.”

“You don’t need to bring any make-up, baby. You’re beautiful au naturel.” Emma compliments as she kisses the brunettes cheek and wraps her arms around her waist.

“You’re sweet but I haven’t been bare faced in public since before puberty and I’m not about to start now.”

“Well, we need to get going so just bring it all, then you can choose whatever you want to use each day.” Emma says with a roll of her eyes, showing how ridiculous she thought the brunettes statement was, Regina was by far the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, make-up or not. 

The blonde walks out to the living room where Henry is sitting next to the few bags they had gathered for their camping trip. Emma starts gathering them all, her own rucksack, the bag the tent is in, and Regina’s roller case, as Henry secures his backpack over his shoulders. Regina soon appears, make-up bag in hand, decision made.

They make their way to Emma’s car where the blonde plays Tetris with their luggage, getting what she can into the trunk and the rest of it fitting around Henry on the backseat. 

“Who’s ready for an adventure?” Emma cheerfully asks as she buckles herself into the driver’s seat.

“I am!” Henry excitedly shouts from the back as he kicks his little legs and bounces in his car seat.

Regina smiles at her sons enthusiasm but doesn’t show any of her own. The trepidation at being stuck in the woods for a week with no modern luxuries had fully kicked in. Her two loves were so excited that she really didn’t want to show her lack of enthusiasm. “I’m sure it will be a lot of fun,” she chirps in with, “but are you sure we can all fit in that tent? It doesn’t look like it will be very big.”

“It’s a two man tent but it will be fine. It will be cosy.” Emma does the best to control her smile. She wants to laugh at the brunette, she knows Regina wasn’t looking forward to camping. She gives the brunettes thigh a gentle squeeze and keeps her hand there as they drive towards their destination.

“How much further is it?” Regina asks after a little while as she watches the trees rush past them on either side of the road.

“Isn’t it Henry’s job to ask that?” Emma teases. The blonde looks in her rear-view mirror at the little boy who is too busy playing with one of his small cars to notice his name being mentioned. Regina rolls her eyes and waits for the blonde to answer. “Only a few more minutes,” she obediently divulges.

Regina offers her a smile but it doesn’t reach her eyes and once again Emma has to hide her own smile at her little deception.

A couple of miles later and Emma is pulling off onto a small, bumpy lane that circumnavigates a large meadow on the edge of a lake. The further down the lane they travel the clearer the small wooden building at the end of the lane becomes. Regina thinks nothing of it until they are pulling up outside the log cabin. “Why are we stopping here?” She asks with scrunched eyebrows.

“You didn’t really think I was going to make you sleep in a tent for a week did you?” Emma smugly replies.

“We are staying here?” For the first time since the trip was planned Regina actually looks excited.

“Yep. Running water, electricity, separate bedrooms for us and the kid, the whole shebang.” 

“Separate bedrooms?” Regina asks with a questioning raise of her eyebrow and a smirk as she leans in closer to the blonde.

“Yep,” Emma replies as she closes the distance between them, “the thought of being close to you all week and not having any privacy,” she bites her own lip as she stares hungrily at Regina’s, “well, that was just too torturous.”

Regina smiles and gently picks Emma’s lips. “So why did you bring the tent?”

“Because I promised Henry that he could sleep in a tent. I can set it up in his bedroom for him if he still has his heart set on it aaaaand because I wanted to screw with you,” she finishes with a devious grin.

“You are an asshole,” she whispers the last word to make sure Henry couldn’t hear it and then she leans in closer to her girlfriend once again. Emma closes her eyes and waits to be kissed. Instead Regina unclicks the blondes seatbelt before removing her own and stepping out of the car. Emma’s eyes snap open and she watches the brunette step out and open Henry’s door. 

“And you say I’m the as…” A glare from her girlfriend who is freeing her son from his car seat stops the word from falling from her lips. “I’ll get the bags,” she says, looking apologetic.

Once Emma has unlocked the door they step inside the small log cabin. Emma had been there before, it belonged to Graham’s family but they only used it when they came to visit him. Graham had often used it to throw end of Summer parties for his colleagues to celebrate the end of the busy season.

Regina was taking it all in, a big smile on her face, probably more from relief at not having to sleep in a tent than anything else. “It’s beautiful,” she murmurs. The interior was indeed very beautiful, and rustic. The living area they were standing in had two couches facing each other, on either side of a coffee table. The main feature of the room was a fireplace on the main wall, it had a timber mantel with a stone effect wall, perfect with the winter months. Seen as it was Summer it wouldn’t be used but it was still beautiful. 

Emma wraps her arms around the brunettes waist from behind and leans her chin on her shoulder. “You like it?”

Regina turns around in the blondes strong arms. “I love it. It’s so much better than a tent.” 

Emma smiles and can’t help but look pleased with herself. She earned enough to look after herself and live comfortably but she knew she couldn’t compare with Regina when it came to money so she had been a bit nervous about whether or not a cabin in the woods would be good enough.

“This one is my room!” Henry shouts from upstairs.

Regina smiles and pulls back, “come on, he’s probably claimed the master bedroom as his own,” she takes the blondes hand and they make their way upstairs to find Henry sitting in the middle of the double bed in the master bedroom. 

“You picked this room?” Emma asks, as she looks around with contempt on her face. She didn’t want to tell him he couldn’t have the room, she wanted him to choose one of the other rooms of his own free will. Regina stands quietly, leaning against the doorframe, wondering where Emma was going with this.

“Yeah,” Henry answers, uncertainty about his choice now written across his face.

Emma jumps on the bed and lands on her knees. “Really? This bed isn’t very bouncy. Me and your mom will have the room with the bouncier beds then.”

No one is watching her but Regina rolls her eyes and shakes her head at the blondes obvious manipulation of her son. The blonde gets off the bed and walks out the door to one of the other bedrooms. Neither brunette moves, they just listen out for what the blonde is about to do next.

“Woohoo! This is what you call a bouncy bed.” Emma shouts from down the hallway.

Henry jumps off the bed and follows the sound of the blondes voice, his mom hot on his heels. They find Emma in one of the other two bedrooms, standing up on a single bed and bouncing lightly. Henry’s eyes go wide, he wasn’t allowed to bounce on his bed at home but it looked like so much fun. He looks between the bouncing blonde and then pleadingly towards his mother.

Regina would never usually let him jump around on furniture but she loves Emma’s playful side and how she always manages to bring out the fun in any situation. She gives her son a small nod of permission and he excitedly clambers onto the bed. Emma takes his little hands to balance him as he jumps up and down, giggling all the while. The blonde had stopped bouncing, it was a solid oak bed but she didn’t want to risk actually damaging it, especially after Graham had so kindly let her use it for the week. 

“I changed my mind. I want this bed,” Henry said between bouts of giggles. 

Regina felt a pang of guilt as she watches her son in his element, she wondered if she was a bit too strict with him. He was a happy little boy but maybe he had been missing someone to have fun with.

“Noooo… this is my bed, you can have the other bed,” the blonde teased him. She looks over to the brunette whose smile has fallen and appears to be deep in thought. Her own smile falls at the sad look on Regina’s face. “I think if you go and give your mom a hug and ask her nicely she might just let us swap.”

“Okay,” he agrees as she helps him off the bed before sitting down on the side of it herself.

“Mommy, can I have this bed, please?” He sweetly asks Regina before throwing his little arms around her legs.

“Seen as you asked so nicely, of course you can.”

“Yay!” He exclaims before climbing back on the bed to jump some more.

Emma stands up and takes Regina’s hand, pulling her back to the master bedroom. “What’s up? We won, we have the big bed,” she states as she sits on it and pats the space besides her.

“Do you often manipulate children in order to sleep with their mothers?” Regina cheekily asks as she sits next to the blonde.

“Only when they are this beautiful,” Emma winks at the brunette, making her smile. “What’s on your mind?” She asks as she throws her arm around narrow shoulders and pulls the brunette against her.

“I was just thinking how happy you make Henry and I worry that I’m too strict with him.” She states as she distractedly plays with her hands. She wasn’t really sad, just contemplative.

“Aww baby, that’s just not true. He is such a happy and lucky kid. This guilt you carry for being a single parent is totally unfounded. You are an amazing mom.” A loud laugh from the other room has both the women smiling. “That happiness,” she says in reference to the childish laughing from down the hallway, “is nothing to do with jumping on a bed, he’s just a happy kid because he has an amazing mother,” she squeezes the brunettes shoulder to emphasise her point.

“You always know the right things to say,” Regina tells her when she lifts her head to look into the blondes eyes.

“All I did was point out the truth,” Emma nonchalantly states. “Now, how about we start enjoying this holiday?”

When they eventually manage to get Henry to stop jumping, they all put on their swimwear. Henry has his red ‘Cars’ swimming trunks, Emma donned light blue bikini shorts and matching bra top, and Regina was wearing a fitted white bikini with a black sarong tied around her hips. Emma groans at the sight of her girlfriends tanned body on show, earning her a smirk from the brunette. The blonde goes to get them each a towel, needing a moment to be away from the brunette to get her libido under control. No one had ever had the ability to turn her on as quickly as Regina did, even when she wasn’t even trying to.

Regina packs Henry’s swim bag with his water wings, goggles and sunscreen. When they are all ready Emma locks the door behind them and walks them around to the back of the cabin where there is a shed, inside there are kayaks, canoes and various other sporting equipment. The blonde looks around until she finds what she’s looking for; a deflated Lilo.

It’s only a couple of minutes’ walk around the meadow to the edge of the lake. The shoreline laps at a small sandy cove where they set their towels down. As Regina slathers Henry in the highest factor sunscreen known to man, the blonde inflates the Lilo and the young boys water wings. When Henry was sufficiently covered in enough of the protective cream to ensure he wouldn’t get sunburnt, or even a tan, Emma slips the inflated bands up his arms and takes his hand.

“Are you coming in?” She asks Regina.

“Maybe later, I think I’ll lay in the sun for a bit first.”

“Okay. Are you ready Henry?”

“Yep!” He answers excitedly.

They walk to the waters edge, hand in hand as the brunette watches them. 

“Ooh it’s cold,” Henry exclaims as he jumps back after dipping a foot in the water.

“It only feels like that until after your whole body goes in the water then you get used to it. The best thing to do is dunk yourself in the water really quickly and then it feels better,” the blonde tries to reassure him. He stares at the water, unsure of what to do next. It didn’t feel like the warm water of the swimming pool he was used to. “How about if I carry you and then we can dunk under the water at the same time?” She tries to bargain with him. 

Regina continues to watch them and her heart flutters at the blondes patience and gentle way with her son.

“Okay,” he eventually nods after a minute of contemplation. He reaches up with his arms until the blonde gathers him up and holds him against her. She slowly wades into the water until the cool liquid is up to her hips.

“Are you ready?” He gives another slow nod as he looks down into the clear water. “On the count of three I want you to take a big breath and hold your nose and I’ll dunk us into the water. It will feel cold at first but then it feel fine, okay?”

“Okay,” he agrees but he holds around her neck a little more tightly.

“Okay…one… two… three…” she waits until he takes a gulp of breath and pinches his nose then she lets herself fall into the water. Once they are submerged Emma kneels down then breaks through the surface so they can both take a breath and only their shoulders and heads are above the water. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” She asks, immediately feeling acclimatised to the temperature herself.

Henry smiles and shakes his head in agreement. “Again,” he shouts. Emma makes it into a game and each time she counts to three he takes a big breath, closes his eyes and pinches his nose before she dunks them both under the water. When he grows bored of that he decides to do some swimming, Emma staying close to him and he doggy paddles in the water.

Regina tries to lay back and just relax in the sun but the urge to sit up and watch her two loves interacting is too strong to resist so she finds herself leaning on her elbows as she watches them contentedly. 

Emma watches Henry closely, she can she that he has expended a lot of his energy and his movements are slowing down but he won’t admit he’s tired. “How about we grab the inflatable so we can relax on the water for a bit?” She suggests to him.

He easily agrees, wanting to give his tired arms a break but not wanting to leave the lake just yet.

She lets him swim to the waters edge until he can put her feet on the lake floor and walk the rest of the way out.

“Have you been having fun?” Regina asks her son as he runs past her and towards the Lilo, which he clumsily tries to drag into the water.

“Yes, mommy. We are going to go on this now,” he happily reports to her.

Emma kneels down on the bottom of Regina’s towel, placing her wet hands on the brunettes knees as Henry struggles with the inflatable. “Are you coming to join us now?”

“Well, that depends,” Regina replies as she pushes her sunglasses to the top of her head, “can I wrap my legs around you as you carry me into the water,” she says in hushed tones so Henry couldn’t hear them.

Emma slides her hands down from the brunettes knees to her thighs, forcing her legs open as she leans over her, “I can’t be held responsible for what might happen if you wrap your legs around me,” she replies just as quietly. Droplets of water drip off her glistening body onto the brunette below.

“Well, seen as I’m already wet, I may as well join you.” They both knew she wasn’t talking about the beads of water that had fallen onto her body.

“I can’t wait until it’s bedtime,” the blonde all but growls. The sound of Henry splashing in the water as he finally manages to wrestle the inflatable to the waters edge, has the women standing up so that he doesn’t go into the lake without supervision.

Emma pushes the Lilo into the water before gathering Henry up and plonking him down on it. “There you go, my Prince. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride,” she says as she pushes him further into the lake and guides the inflatable around.

The sound of splashing behind them has Emma turning her head to see Regina popping up from beneath the water, having submerged herself to get used to the temperature. 

Emma tries to suppress a shiver as the brunette pushes her wet hair from her face. “Come here, beautiful,” she offers a hand to the brunette and pulls her through the water once she has accepted it. The brunette wraps herself around the blonde, arms around her neck and legs around her hips, giving her a knowing smile.

Emma smiles and shakes her head at her girlfriends teasing antics but still chances a grope of her firm bum under the water, where Henry wouldn’t be able to see. “We need to exhaust him so he’s goes to bed early tonight,” the blonde whispers.

The three of them mess around in the lake until Regina declares it time for lunch, just when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky.

After they have all showered and gotten dressed, Emma drives them to a local village a few miles away so they can stock up on groceries for the week ahead. Henry sits in the child seat of the shopping cart and Emma drives him around the aisles making screeching noises as if he’s in a car, much to his enjoyment but to his mother’s annoyance as she tries to actually do the shopping and has to run after them to load the groceries into the cart. Every time she catches up with them she notices some unhealthy snack in the cart that one of them, or both of them, had snuck into it. She ignores it because it is their holiday too.

After a lunch of sandwiches, that Regina prepared as Henry and Emma played with a few of his cars that he brought along for the trip, Emma suggests that they go for a walk. Henry didn’t like the idea, he didn’t think a walk was as much fun as swimming in the lake.

“It will be fun, just like last week when we went to Emma’s work. We looked for different animals and plants, do you remember?” Regina tried to coerce him.

It took him a moment as he searched his memory, “Oh yeah… I was really good at that!”

“I bet I can spot more animals than you,” Emma challenges him, knowing he had a competitive streak just like his mother.

“No, I can spot more than you!” He counters with a smile.

“The winner gets an ice cream,” Emma offers, adding to the young boys excitement.

After Henry had agreed to the deal and they had finished their lunch, Emma clears up the dishes as Regina packs a small bag with a few bottles of water and sunscreen for their walk. The brunette slathers the white cream onto all of her sons skin that isn’t covered by his shorts and t-shirt, and places a cap on his head before they set out on their wildlife spotting adventure.

Henry stands between them so they can each take one of his hands and swing him between them as they walk along the path at the edge of the meadow that leads them further into the woods.

Emma is the first to see a squirrel climbing up a tree and points it out to the two brunettes. “One point to me,” she smugly declares, “I can almost taste the ice cream,” she smacks her lips together to further tease Henry.

“There’s a bird,” he points to the sky. Both women look up but see nothing but the tree canopy.

“I can’t see any birds,” Emma states as she continues to search the trees.

“It flew away,” Henry replies sheepishly.

“I think someone’s pants are on fire,” Regina directs to him at his obvious lie.

“Nice try, kid,” Emma winks at him.

He drops both of their hands in a bit of a sulk and walks ahead of them, his logic being that if he was in front he would be able to spot any animals first. Emma takes Regina’s hand and they follow behind him as they meander around the forest on the designated path. Every now and them Henry would shout out some little beastie that he found flying around or clinging to a plant. The more animals he spotted the more eager he became to spot even more creatures and claim the winning ice cream.

Henry was way ahead in their game but that was mainly because Emma found it difficult to take her eyes off the beautiful brunette as they walked and chatted.

“Have you ever had sex in public?” Regina asks out of nowhere, making the blonde stop in her tracks.

“Are you offering? Because I’m sure I could give Henry good enough directions so that he could find his way back to the cabin,” the blonde jokes.

“I’m not offering, just asking,” the brunette says but the edge of her lip quirks up, giving her away.

“No… not yet,” she answers with a wriggle of her eyebrows, “how about you?”

“No… not yet either,” the brunette huskily replies.

Emma inhales deeply through her nose, “you have just made this walk a lot more difficult than it needed to be,” the blonde says as she obviously squeezes her thighs together.

“A rabbit,” Henry excitedly shouts.

“You and the kid are working together, aren’t you? You’re distracting me so he can win,” the blonde jokingly accuses her girlfriend. Regina winks at her then heads towards her son. Emma begins planning her revenge for later in the night when they were in the privacy of their room.

After a little while the heat had gotten to Henry, who had been running around the forest. Regina offered him a bottle of water and he gulped down almost half the bottle before trying to run off again.

“Do you want to go on my shoulders, Henry? You’ll be able to see better from up there,” Emma offers.

“Okay,” he eagerly nods.

She picks him up and places him on her shoulders and reaches up to hold his legs so he doesn’t fall off.

The way the arms of Emma’s tee clings to her bulging biceps has Regina flushing with a heat of her own as she finishes off the bottle of water. She hoped the walk would be over soon so they could put Henry down for a nap and spend some alone time together. 

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Just under an hour later she spots the cabin in the distance as they emerge from the woods and into a clearing. She was thankful as she was sweaty and lagging in energy. Any thoughts of private time with the blonde was long gone as she would prefer a nap to anything else as the sun beat down on her back.

At the door to the cabin Emma puts Henry down and opens the door, allowing the brunettes to enter first into the slightly cooler air of the cabin. She whacks on the air con and grabs some more bottles of water from the fridge, the bottles they took on the walk had long been finished and they were all feeling the thirst. She finds each of her loves sprawled on the couches, their shoes removed, no doubt at Regina’s insistence. She opens a bottle for each of them before handing them over. She was used to working in the heat but Regina had a desk job that no doubt had air con and Henry was only young, she felt a little bad for taking them on such a long walk. She sometimes forgot that not everyone was as physically fit as she was and what she considered a gentle walk was a lot harder for others.

Emma sits on the couch with Henry, in the space below his feet. After taking a few mouthfuls he hands her his bottle of water and she places it on the coffee table. Within minutes the young boy is fast asleep.

“Sorry if the walk was a bit long,” She quietly says to Regina who is now sipping on her water after the first few mouthfuls.

“It’s quite alright, the fresh air and sunshine is good for him… and me. I’m sure I’ll appreciate it more when the dehydration and exhaustion have passed,” she quips.

Emma laughs and shakes her head, “city folk,” she teases. “Shall I put him to bed?”

“No, he’s okay there, it’s probably cooler in here for him.”

Emma nods and finishes off her water before standing up and walking over to Regina. She bends down and picks the brunette up. “What are you doing?” Regina questions her.

“For what I want to do to you we cannot be in the same room as your son,” she cheekily replies.

“But I’m gross and sweaty,” Regina moans as she gets carried upstairs.

“So am I. We can be gross and sweaty together,” Emma states as she lays the brunette down on the middle of the bed. Regina was about to argue but Emma quickly pulls off her tee, revealing her abs, knowing that would be enough to convince her girlfriend.

“Damn you and your incredible body,” Regina states as she pulls the blonde on top of her and into a deep kiss.

Emma smiles into the kiss, happy that Regina was just as willing as she was. She had been turned on since she first saw the brunette in her bikini earlier in the morning and couldn’t wait any longer. She dominates the brunettes mouth with her tongue as she works to unbutton the denim shorts around her girlfriend that keep her away from what she wants. Once they are undone she slips her hand inside and into her panties, immediately to be greeted by a warm wetness that she drags her fingers through, causing Regina to moan into her mouth.

“Inside,” the brunette mumbles into the kiss, “fuck me.”

Emma wanted to tease her, to pay her back for the brunettes earlier torment, but her own eagerness had her fingers slipping inside her lovers tight channel. She would go slow later on, right now she was desperate to make the brunette cum. 

Regina reaches into the blondes shorts and sinks her fingers inside her wet centre without any preamble, using her thumb to rub the blondes protruding bundle of nerves.

Emma purposely doesn’t touch the brunettes clit, she loves watching her girlfriend rub it herself and she was hoping that if she didn’t do it then Regina would.

They kept kissing as they fucked each other, rocking themselves on the others fingers.

“I’m close,” Regina pants from below her.

“Touch yourself for me,” Emma commands. She pulls back so she can watch as Regina sneaks her free hand into her own panties to rub herself. “Mmmm… fuck… keep touching yourself.” She pumps in harder to the brunette as she can feel herself about to crest. “Cum on my fingers, baby. Fuuuuck….” Emma tries to keep it quiet as her body stills and the muscles inside her pussy squeeze the fingers fucking her. Before she has finished cumming she hears Regina’s breath catch as her own fingers inside the brunette get squeezed and coated in a fresh rush of liquid. As the euphoric feeling begins to ebb away she collapses against the brunette and kisses her sweaty neck. 

When she feels some strength return to her legs she rolls off her lover and looks over at her only to see that the brunette has fallen asleep. She smiles to herself and leans over to kiss her lovers damp forehead before getting up to wash her hands and make a start on dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We may have a visitor or two in the next chapter.


	21. Family feud

One of the first things Regina had done when she realised they would be staying in a cabin and not in a tent, was to send a few pictures of the cosy cabin to her sister. Zelena had done nothing but tease her at every given opportunity since Regina had told her that Emma would be taking them camping for a week. Zelena knew that Regina would be dreading the idea of slumming it on some forest floor with only a thin layer of canvas separating her from the wilderness. So being the kind of sister that she is, she made sure to remind her of all the negatives of the trip whenever possible. 

Regina was beyond smug as she sent picture after picture of the quaint cottage in the woods to the woman who had relentlessly teased her for the last couple of weeks.

Zelena was a little jealous when she received the pictures of the cabin, but more than anything she was relieved. She had been concerned about the longevity of her sisters relationship with the blonde when she first heard about the camping trip. Anyone that knew Regina knew that she was not a camping kind of girl. All that aside, she didn’t like Regina’s smugness and the obvious pleasure she was taking in from sending the beautiful pictures of the cabin. 

They had just come back from a morning of kayaking on the lake, ready for lunch, when Regina went straight to her phone. She may have been on holiday but she made sure to check her emails throughout the day, just in case there was an emergency in Storybrooke and her expertise was needed to handle the situation.

There was three messages waiting for her from her sister when she unlocked her phone.

“Hey Sis, something is going on with Kathryn, I don’t think it’s good. Call me when you get this.”

“Shit. Kathryn turned up with a packed bag. She’s left Fred.”

“Don’t get in touch with Kathryn, just call me, please.”

Regina’s heart sinks as she reads the messages, Kathryn and Fred had been together forever. She wanted to call her friend but she took Zelena’s advice and called her instead. She went outside onto the small porch to make the call in privacy as Emma and Henry raided the fridge for their lunch. The speed at which Zelena answered the call only served to further worry the brunette.

“Zelena, what’s happening? How is Kathryn? Is she there with you?” The multitude of questions spilled from her lips in concern for their mutual friend. 

“Yes, she turned up at my door this morning and is still here. I think it would do her good to see you. You know I’m not great at this sort of thing. I’m not sure exactly what’s going on but you need to be here.”

Regina wanted to be there with her friend in her time of need, she really did, but she had to think twice about cutting short her trip with Emma and Henry. They were all having such a wonderful time that she really didn’t want to leave and disappoint them both.

“Should I… should I come home?” She tentatively asks. Normally she would have dropped everything and been at her friends side in a heartbeat, no matter where she was or what she was doing, but her two loves comes first.

“I don’t want to ruin your trip with Emma and Henry but…” she let the silence hang in the air after her unfinished sentence, “what if we come to you? It might be good for her to get away from things and clear her head for a few days.” She almost felt bad for suggesting it but she wasn’t going to back down from her plan.

It wasn’t ideal but at least if her sister and friend came to her she could stay there and continue her trip with Emma and her son, it was better than the alternative option of packing up and ending the trip altogether.

“That sounds like a great idea. I’m sure Emma wouldn’t mind.” She feels mildly guilty for changing the trip that Emma had obviously taken time to plan for them but she was confident that her girlfriend would be okay with the arrangement. There was a spare room so they would still have some privacy at least.

“Great,” Zelena replies, sounding happy that her suggestion had been accepted, “send me the satnav information and we’ll be there before sunset. You are such a good friend and a good sister. See you later.”

“Bye,” she just about manages to get in before her sister ends the call. She shakes her head as she stares down at her phone, it must have been her imagination but Zelena sounded positively cheery before she hung up.

“Hey, is everything okay?” Emma asks as she opens the door behind Regina and joins her on the porch.

“Sorry. I just had to make a quick call to Zelena. I think Kathryn has walked out on Fred.”

“Shit. I’m sorry,” the blonde says in response to the look of devastation on Regina’s face. She pulls the brunette against her and wraps her in a comforting hug.

“I told Zelena that they could come here, is that okay?” She pulls back to look at Emma, anxiously hoping she hadn’t overstepped.

“Of course it’s okay. There is plenty of room for them both. Come inside, sweetheart, I’ve left Henry at the kitchen table but I don’t think he should be left unsupervised in a room full of sharp objects.”

They walk in side by side, the blondes strong arm offering comfort and support as it holds the smaller woman against her. Henry was exactly where the blonde had left him, playing with one of his toy cars on the table and sipping from his juice cup.

“Hi, mommy. Emma is going to make us noodles for lunch and she said I can make the sauce!” His excitement at being given a responsibility by the blonde finally put a smile back on Regina’s face. 

“I can’t wait to try it. I’m sure it will be the most delicious sauce I have ever had,” the brunette says as she leans down to kiss his mop of dark hair. She gets to work chopping up the vegetables for their stir-fry, in silence, as Emma gives her a little space and helps Henry with making the sauce.

After lunch, they while away the afternoon picking flowers in the meadow. It had been Emma’s idea, she thought that it would help cheer up Regina. And it did, receiving a small, clumsy bunch of flowers from her son, that didn’t match in the slightest, really perked her up. They slowly walked behind Henry, hand in hand, as he picked the flowers he thought were the prettiest and that his mom would like the best.

“Do you want me to keep Henry busy and out of the way when Kathryn and your sister arrive?” The blonde tentatively asks, unsure of what to do for the best.

“Yes, please, if you wouldn’t mind. I don’t know what state Kathryn will be in.”

“Not a problem,” Emma replies as she pulls their joined hands up so she can kiss the brunettes hand.

Later in the afternoon as the Sun was beginning to dip and the residual heat of the day was keeping them comfortably warm as they sat on the porch. Henry was on his knees at their feet, playing with a few of his toy cars as his mom sipped on a glass on red wine and Emma enjoyed an ice cold beer. The sound of tyres on the dirt road as a car roared towards them had all three sets of eyes peering at the quickly approaching vehicle.

Regina rolled her eyes at the speed of her sisters driving. The brunette wouldn’t leave her sister in charge of a child’s pram if it was up to her. The speeding car swung in to the space next to Emma’s as it came to an abrupt stop.

“I thought you said that Emma had left them,” Kathryn quizzes the redhead.

“Noooo… I said that Regina was on her own in the cabin. Which was true because she had text me to say that Emma and Henry were outside,” she replies confidently.

It takes a moment for her to realise what Zelena was up to. “Oh my God, Zee! You tricked me! You made me think that Regina needed us to come and be here with her. I told work I won’t be there for the rest of the week because I thought Emma had run out on her!” The blonde shouts at her uninterested looking friend.

“I’m only responsible for what I say… not for what you understand,” the treacherous woman nonchalantly responds before stepping out of the car.

The blonde also steps out of the car to continue shouting at her some more but when she gets out Regina is right next to her, flinging her arms around her.

“Kathryn, are you okay?” The brunette caringly asks.

“I’m fine, Regina,” the blonde promises as she pulls back from the hug, “what has your demented sister been telling you?”

Regina looks at her in confusion and surprise, the blonde didn’t look at all upset or like she had been crying, in fact, she just looked angry. “She said that you left Fred and that you turned up at her house with you packed bags.”

“That is all true,” the redhead cheerfully pipes up from a few feet in front of them as she makes her way to the cabin.

“You are a damn sociopath,” Kathryn shouts back at her before turning to look back at Regina. “Your sister called me first thing this morning and told me that Emma had left you and that you wanted us to come up here to be with you. So I packed a bag and went to hers because she said she would drive us up here. She’s played us both!”

Regina’s lips form into a tight scowl before she turns and stomps after her sister. “Zelena!” She bellows, attracting the attention of a concerned looking Emma and Henry. 

Her sister turns around on the porch and leans on the railing, giving Regina a devious grin. “Yes, darling sister?”

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

Emma quickly picks up Henry, “come here, buddy, let’s go and make some cookies in the kitchen, yeah?” She doesn’t want him to be around the arguing women.

“Okay,” he happily agrees. Baking cookies with Emma had quickly distracted from the storm brewing on the porch.

Regina waits for them to enter the cottage, Emma closing the door behind them, before she starts ripping into her sister. Kathryn has now joined her, standing shoulder to shoulder, both of them with their arms across their chests as they glare at the devious woman. “Why the hell did you do this? Why did you lie to us both and make up some stupid story?”

“I did not lie. Everything I said was true. You both filled in the blanks with your own ideas,” she simply replies, not appreciating the torment she had put both of the women through.

“You can justify it any way that you want but you hurt us both today, and what for?” The brunette demands.

Zelena sighs and slumps further against the railings. “You were so smug with your texts. You were rubbing it in because Emma had taking you to this nice little cabin for a family holiday and I wanted to be here. I was your family first!” She childishly huffs.

“So you concocted up ridiculous stories just so you could crash our trip?”

“Once again… I did not make up any stories. I gave facts and you two made up the stories,” she vehemently defends herself.

“You are unbelievable!” The blonde chimes in.

“Thank you,” Zelena replies smugly, taking it as a compliment.

“I can’t be around you right now. I’m going for a walk, are you coming, Kathryn?”

The blonde is right behind her as they leave a sulking Zelena on the porch, they link their arms together and follow the path around the edge of the meadow.

Zelena doesn’t leave her spot on the porch until the two women are no longer visible to her as they follow the path through the treeline and into the forest. With a sigh she pushes herself off the railing and makes her way into the cabin. This wasn’t how she thought it would turn out at all. Sure she had played a game with her sister and friend but she hadn’t lied and it was only a little joke that lasted a few hours. It’s not like she had killed anyone.

“Does everyone lose their sense of humour when they enter a relationship?” She asks the blonde as she pulls out a chair for herself at the kitchen table.

“Urm…” Emma mumbles from where she stands in front of the counter next to Henry, who is stirring a bowl of cookie dough with a big wooden spoon.

“No, really… do you have to go to some mundane government building and sign away your freedom and sense of humour?”

“Urm…” Emma repeats, unsure of what the hell is going on.

“Very helpful, muscles,” she unkindly snarks at the blonde.

Emma ignores the mocking, it was pretty much standard for Zelena. “So where are Regina and Kathryn?

“The joyless duo have gone for a walk,” she sullenly replies.

On the few occasions that Emma had met Zelena she had never really seen her looking sad before and it only served to make the whole situation even more confusing.

“Henry, why don’t you go play with your cars in the lounge so I can talk to your aunt for a little bit?” She sweetly asks the young boy.

“But I want to put the cookies in the over with you,” he protests.

“We need to put the dough in the fridge for a bit. It will make the cookies taste even better when we cook them,” she quickly makes up on the spot.

He narrows his eyes at her momentarily before shrugging and climbing down off the chair he was standing on. “Okay, but don’t put them in the oven without me,” he says before running through to the lounge to play.

“I won’t,” Emma promises him. “So what’s going on?” She asks the redhead as she grabs a glass and a bottle of wine from the fridge, pouring a generous amount of the alcohol for the upset woman.

With a sigh Zelena recounts the story to the blonde between swigs of wine. She’s on her third glass by the time she’s finished. Emma had listened intently without interrupting, even though she wanted to point out what a crappy thing it was to do. Zelena waits for the uncomfortable looking blonde to say something, hoping she would be on her side.

“Well, that was a shitty thing to do,” the blonde finally announces after processing everything she had just been told. “Do you know how upset Regina has been all day?” She looks to the woman sitting across the table from her for an answer. When none comes, she continues, “she has been on the verge of tears all day, worrying herself stupid about her best friend and you have the audacity to sit there and play the victim? This was a drama of your own making and you need to take responsibility for it and own up to what you have done,” her steely eyes don’t blink as she stares at Zelena, daring her to argue.

The older women is glued to her seat, paralyzed by the power with which the normally meek blonde spoke to her. Outside of the two women that were pissed off at her, no one ever dared stand up to her. No one ever called her out on her bullshit, but here Emma was reading her her rights, protecting the woman she loved.

“I…,” the redhead begins, about to defend herself again.

“I don’t want to hear it. You sort this or you can get back in your car and leave… tonight.” Emma doesn’t wait around to hear anymore from her, she stands up and leaves to join Henry in the lounge. She wasn’t one to lose her temper or get involved with an argument but when it came to anyone upsetting either of the two people she loved most in the world, she would fight for them. 

The sound of the front door closing signals Emma’s and Henry’s departure from the cabin and Zelena pours what little of the wine there was left into her glass, drinking it all in one big mouthful. She sulks and stews for what feels like hours until the front door opens once again. Getting up from her chair she makes her way through to the lounge to see who it was that came in. 

Regina and Kathryn both look towards her when she enters the room, they had obviously cooled off significantly since they first discovered her rouse, as they were no long giving her daggers.

She looks as pitiful as either of them had ever seen her looking. Zelena never showed weakness or backed down from an argument but she had been giving a dressing down too many times today for her to still believe that she had nothing to apologise for. “I’m… I’m sorry,” she quietly whispers, unable to look at either woman as she plays with her fingers. “I shouldn’t have messed with either of you the way that I did. I didn’t mean to upset either of you. I though we would arrive here and just laugh it off.”

“It wasn’t funny,” Kathryn answers for the both of them.

“I know,” she agrees as she looks at them both. “I really am sorry.”

Regina and Kathryn look at each other. They had actually managed to laugh about the whole thing on their walk when they were sure that the others relationship was really okay. It was typical Zelena behaviour to trick and deceive to get what she wanted. She had never suffered true heartbreak to understand why the end of a relationship could hurt someone so badly. She was basically an overgrown teenager with no limits.

Neither of them were about to let on that they had already forgiven her. “You behaved deplorably,” Regina finally speaks, “worse than usual, actually.”

“I know. I just got jealous and I wanted to be a part of all this,” she says as she gestures to the cabin around them, “we hardly hang out anymore. Then when we did last week I realised just how much I miss you both.” She never let anyone see her cry and she was doing her damndest to not her tears fall now.

Regina relents when she sees the struggle in her sisters eyes. “Come here you delinquent.” She holds her arms out and hugs her sister when the redhead reaches her. Kathryn joins them in the hug, the past few hours now put behind them.

“I’ll get some wine,” Kathryn says after a few moments and they all let go of each other. 

“I’ll go and get Emma and Henry,” the brunette says.

“Your girlfriend is scarier than you when she goes into protective mode,” the redhead tells Regina.

The brunette doesn’t ask Zelena to elaborate on what she has just said but she smiles to herself in the knowledge that Emma had taken on her sister in order to look out for her. She stored that information aside, promising herself to reward the blonde for her loyalty later that night.

“Mommy! Mommy!” Henry shouts from his spot next to Emma on the ground when he sees her mother walk out of the cabin. “Look what we made for you.” He gets up runs towards hers, jumping into her arms when he’s close enough to her.

“What did you make for me my little prince?” She walks over to Emma who is sitting cross legged on the floor, busy fiddling with something. She puts him down when he starts wriggling in her arms so he can give her the present he had made.

“Are they ready?” He excitedly asks Emma.

“Just finished,” she says as she passes him two daisy chains, one a lot smaller than the other.

“We made you a necklace and a bracelet,” he proudly holds them up to her, more delicately than he would usually hold something in his clumsy hands.

“They are beautiful,” she confirms to him as she holds them up, inspecting them before she puts the larger one around her neck and the smaller one around her wrist. “How do they look?” She asks her son as she poses with them.

“Pretty mommy!”

“I am very lucky. Flowers and jewellery all in one day!” She sits on the ground next to Emma, leaning against the taller woman’s side as Henry clambers onto her lap.

The blonde throws an arm over her shoulder and gives the smaller woman a gentle squeeze. “Is everything okay now?”

“Yes, we talked it through. Thank you for sticking up for me by the way,” She kisses the blondes cheek and slides her arm around her lower back, “and for the jewellery.”

The blonde laughs whole heartedly. “No one can say I don’t know how to treat a lady.” That earns a smile and another kiss from her girlfriend. “Can we go back inside, my butt’s going numb.”

Henry starts giggling manically and repeatedly shouting ‘butt’ until Emma pulls him to the ground and starts tickling him, only stopping when she gets him to promise not to say that word again. 

“Can we bake the cookies now?” He asks the blonde as he takes a hand of each woman as they walk back to the cabin.

“You haven’t made them yet?” Regina asks quizzically.

“Emma said if we left the dough in the fridge it would taste better when we baked it.” The young boy fills his mother in with the reason they hadn’t finished them yet.

Regina looks to Emma with a raised eyebrow and the blonde leans over to whisper in her ear, “I needed him out of the kitchen so I could talk to Zelena.”

“Ahh,” the brunette hums in understanding. She had made up more than a few lies when she had needed Henry to comply in the past.

Emma offers Zelena a smile when they enter the cabin, she didn’t want there to be any residual tension now that things have been fixed. The redhead offers her a smile in return, it almost looked like admiration, Emma thought. She let the three women catch up over a couple of bottles of wine as she and Henry put the cookies in the oven before starting on making dinner for everyone. Her little sous chef helping her every step of the way of course.

She was able to fully relax when she heard the laughter coming from the other room. She was so relieved that they had all made up and Regina had the company of the two women she loved dearly.

When the cookies were ready she plated a few up, putting the rest away in a plastic container, and asked Henry to take them through for the women to snack on until their dinner was ready. They would be eating later than they usually would because of everything that had happened that afternoon. She told Henry he could have only one cookie, because she didn’t want him spoiling his dinner.

Once she had finished preparing the dinner and placed it in the over to cook, she joined everyone in the lounge. One cookie had been left on the plate for her but Henry kept looking over at it, obviously wanting it but not breaking his promise to Emma that he would only eat one. She knew Regina wouldn’t have let him have more than just one anyway.

“So what did you all think of the cookies that Henry made?” She interrupts their conversation and sits on the arm of the couch next to her girlfriend, to hear them all praise him, which they all do again. “Did they taste even better than they usually do?”

“Best cookies I’ve ever eaten,” Zelena beams at her nephew.

“Even better the ones I buy in the store. You will have to make all my cookies from now on Henry,” Kathryn addresses the smiling boy.

“I will Auntie Kat!” He may have been a small boy but right then he felt like the biggest, most important boy in the world.

“Let me try,” Emma says as she picks up the lonely cookie and snaps it in half. She gives one half to Henry, whose eyes go wide as he thanks her and takes a big bite. Regina silently shakes her head, knowing how pointless it was to ask Emma not to give him so many treats. Her son and her girlfriend were bonded over their love of food and the way the blonde spoiled him in countless ways. Emma takes a bite of her own half of cookie and as usual she moans and acts like it’s the nicest thing she has ever tasted, all because Henry had made it. “I think I will eat all the extra ones after dinner,” she says with a cheeky smile aimed at Henry.

“You share them with me, yes Emma?” He asks with sad eyes at the thought of being left out.

“Okay, but maybe we will wait until tomorrow when no one else is around so we don’t have to share them, okay?” She conspiratorially whispers to him.

“Okay, but we can give one to mommy,” he wasn’t about to leave his mom out of anything.

“Okay, but only one,” she stage whispers to him.

“Yeah, and one for aunty Kat and Zelena,” he adds.

All the woman start laughing at his definition of not sharing. He joins in with their laughter without really knowing why, just partaking in their shared joy.

After dinner Henry was allowed to stay up for a little bit longer but soon enough his exhaustion at all the fun he had during the day had caught up with him and he fell asleep curled up on Emma’s lap. She manages to stand up and get him into his bed without disturbing him too much, he mumbles a little in her arms but his eyes never fully open. Regina followed them to his room so she could tuck him in and kiss him goodnight, like she did every night.

A few drinks later and the effects of the draining day had caught up with them all as well, they said their goodnights, leaving their glasses and empty wine bottles on the coffee table to be cleared in the morning. It wasn’t something Regina would usually allow but despite her fatigue she was eager to get Emma into bed and keep the promise she had made to herself earlier in the evening about repaying Emma for her loyalty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope no one dislikes Zelena for this. We all know how much of a jealous shit stirrer she can be but we love her anyway!


	22. Bound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I was asked to make it obvious when there a sex scene in the story so I have tried to do that. The first half of this chapter is basically sex so if you aren't interested in reading that just scroll down and it will say 'xxxx end of intimacy xxxx' when it's over. 
> 
> The sex scene is a little different from anything I've written in this story so far, so if you don't like where I've taken it then the above message may be of use to you.
> 
> Otherwise.... please enjoy :)

"So, you stood up against my sister for me?" Regina purrs as she pushes the blonde back against the bed and straddles her waist. "I don't think anyone has ever done that and lived to tell the tale."

 

"Yeah, well, she was awful and needed telling," the blonde replies, not really concentrating on what she was saying. She didn’t think it was right to speak ill of Regina’s sister but in that moment she was more concerned with the feeling of the brunettes centre pressed against her own. They may have still been clothed but the heat radiating from both of their cores was undeniable.

 

"Is that so?" She asks as she grinds down against the blonde.

 

Emma squeezes her eyes tightly at the contact. "Uh-huh,” she mumbles as her hands grip tighter onto curvy hips as she gently thrusts up against her lover.

 

“Well, I would like to show my appreciation. So tell me, Emma, what would you like?”

 

Emma stills and looks up at Regina, who is smirking down at her. “What I like? As in…” She cuts herself off not sure what her next words should be.

 

“As in… we are together in bed and there is the distinct possibility of us both getting naked if you would like. So tell me what you would like me to do to you… or what you would like to do to me,” she bites on her bottom lip and grinds down into Emma once again, “anything you want.”

 

“Oh God,” she breathes out, completely overwhelmed by all this possibilities that have been laid out before her. The dozens of things she has thought about them both doing whilst naked flip through her mind like a Kamasutra rolodex. She was in no way bored with their sex life, not at all, but there are some things she had thought of in the privacy of her home when the miles and workdays separated them.

 

"Can I... can I restrain you?" She blurts out without really thinking it through. She curses her big mouth as her cheeks burn bright red and her eyes squeeze shut in embarrassment. It was a recurring fantasy of hers, to have the brunette trust her so complicity and let her take complete charge of their intimacy.

 

Regina smirks and raises an eyebrow, not that Emma can see. She had expected the woman below her to ask for some specific position or something like that, she hadn't expected this request and it made her wonder what other fantasies the blonde may be hiding. Without saying a word she reaches for the blondes belt and starts unbuckling it. 

 

Emma peers up at her, she was relieved that the brunette hadn't been completely disgusted by the idea but she wasn't sure how she felt about her request being ignored as Regina simply pulls her belt free.

 

The Mayor holds the length of leather from her fingertip, "will this suffice to retrain me?" The devilish grin on her face calms the blondes nerves and simultaneously reignites her libido.

 

"You are okay with this?" She finally catches on, and pleads for oral confirmation, as if Regina holding up her belt suggestively wasn't confirmation enough.

 

" Of course I am. I trust you, Emma. Besides, if I do this then you will owe me," she says with a wink. "So, how do you want me?"

 

Emma's mouth goes dry. Regina was so easily giving her complete control and trust, something she had never experienced to this degree with any previous partner. "Urm... naked," she states as she reaches for the hem of Regina's blouse and pulls it over her head, revealing her supple torso and lace encased breasts. She sits up so Regina is straddling her lap. Her hands slide up her back as their lips meet. Emma swipes her tongue along plump lips to gain entrance to an eager and welcoming mouth. She unclasps her bra and slips the material down olive arms before dropping it onto the floor. Her fingertips delicately glide over her lovers ribs until they are lightly squeezing her breasts, hard nipples rubbing against her palms. Regina moans into her mouth, sending a bolt of electricity to the blondes core.

 

Emma usually loves taking it slow and paying attention to every inch of her lovers body but now that she had been given permission to live out one of her wet dreams, she couldn't wait any longer.

 

"Off the bed, Baby," She murmurs against Regina's lips. The brunette does as requested and moves off Emma to stand at the side of the bed, the blonde joins her, standing in front of her. "Take off the rest of your clothes," she gently commands as she starts removing her own. Within moments they are both naked and the blonde now appears a bit more timid, now that one of her fantasies was about to actually happen.

 

"How do you want me?" Regina repeats her earlier question, partly to reassure the blonde, who was a little less sure of herself, that she was still okay with this.

 

"Turn around and put your hands behind her back, please," she wanted to sound commanding because to have that sort of power over the brunette would be incredibly sexy, but her voice came out a little too shaky to really sound authoritative. One thing at a time, she reminds herself.

 

Regina silently does as she is asked. Emma kisses her shoulder and gives her hands a gently squeeze before picking up her belt from the bed, with slightly shaky hands. "Tell me if you want to stop at any point," she whispers just loud enough for Regina could hear her. A nod of the brunettes head tells her that she has been heard. She slowly and gently begins weaving the material around her hands before tying it off in a knot. "Is that okay, does it hurt?" She checks with her lover, she wants to do this but not at the cost of Regina not liking it or being uncomfortable.

 

The brunette tries to separate her hands, checking how much movement she has, she can barely her wrists more than a few millimetres but it wasn't uncomfortable. She actually found the vulnerability of her position, naked with her hands bound, to be a quite the turn on. She knows she is safe with Emma so there is no need for fear, but to be at someone’s mercy was quite exciting.

 

"It's fine, it doesn't hurt," she confirms what Emma wants to hear.

 

Emma turns her around and cups her face, pulling her into a dominating kiss that takes the brunettes breath away. She pulls away to grab a pillow and drops it at Regina's feet. "On your knees, baby," she gently pushes her shoulders and guides her down until she's kneeling on the pillow.

 

Regina looks up at the blondes muscular body towering above her and plasters on the most innocent smile she can conjure.

 

There hadn't been the usual build-up of foreplay between them but they were both so ready. Emma could feel her core tightening and throbbing wildly as the normally commanding brunette, who could make grown men piss their pants with a withering stare, was naked and tied up, on her knees before her. She takes a small step forward, her wet centre directly in front of Regina's mouth, "is this okay?" She asks once again as she combs her fingers through dark, silky locks. 

 

Regina smirks up at her before placing open mouth kisses over her centre. Emma's scent is strong and heady, causing her to hum in delight when she trails her tongue along Emma's slit.

 

"Wider," she breathlessly requests, breaking her silence in order to get at what she wants.

 

Emma widens her stance, baring herself completely to her lovers mouth and overloading Regina's senses.

 

She wastes no time in devouring her with her tongue and lips as she sucks and licks every sensitive and overheated inch of her pussy.

 

The blonde did her best to not grip or direct her head as she ate her out, she just gently cradled it and let Regina continue to do what she was doing so amazingly well.

 

Regina pulls at her binds, wishing they were free for the first time since they were bound, just so she could use her fingers on Emma and feel the tight grip of her walls around them. That always had the blonde unravelling in no time at all.

 

"Fuck," the blonde stammers before sucking in a breath as Regina's tongue pushes inside her entrance. She pushes her hips forward a little, so she can feel more of the warm muscle inside herself. Regina pushes forward at the same time, desperate to be as deep inside of her lover as she can be. Emma's hips move in unison with the tongue inside her as she fucks herself on it. "Mmm... yesss..." She looks down and makes contact with deep brown orbs that look back at her through dark eyelashes, "fuck… so good."

 

Regina doesn't want her cumming just yet, so she exerts the small amount of control that she still has, and drags her tongue up to the hard bud so she can suck on it. Emma grabs onto the nightstand behind her so she can steady herself as her legs almost buckle under Regina's delicious mouth. Her hand cradles the back of her head more powerfully, keeping her pressed against her centre, leaving no room for her to pull away or stop what she is doing. 

 

The vibrations of the growl that rumbles from deep in Regina's chest at being held tightly against Emma's centre only serve to stimulate the blonde further. Regina would have never thought in a millions years that she would enjoy being subservient to anyone but here she is, her molten core soaking her own thighs as she serves Emma on her knees. 

 

She delves back into Emma's opening and tries to rub her clit with her nose, it proves difficult as the blondes hips move in desperation against her face.

 

"Oh fuck... that's it baby... fuck me just like that." The ever-vocal blonde demands with a squeeze of her hand at the back of Regina’s head.

 

Regina grabs a breath where she can, which is quite difficult between Emma's core pressed against her face and the strong hand holding her tightly. She decides to work quickly to try and avoid suffocation, not that she thought it would be a bad way to die. She licks at the front of the blondes wall, the tip of her tongue grazing over the slightly raised patch that has Emma's breath catching in her throat. The pressure of fingertips pressing into her skull, bordering on pain, tells her all she needs to know about how close her lover is to cumming in her mouth.

 

"Regina... Regina..." She tries to fight it but her hips still against the brunettes face and tight walls flutter around her tongue as her orgasm spills into her lovers mouth. “FUUUUUCK.”

 

She doesn't remove her hand from Regina's head until she's finished riding out her bliss on the tongue inside her. "Holy shit," she gasps as she moves back a little, allowing Regina to catch her breath. She looks down at her, white dots still popping in her vision as she takes in the sight of her wetness covering Regina's mouth, nose and chin. "Christ, you are beautiful. That was incredible."

 

Regina licks her lips and smiles up at her, "I'm glad you think so. Now, how about you remove this?" She asks as she wiggles her fingers behind her back.

 

Emma leans down a little and helps Regina stand up on slightly aching knees, "are you okay?" She reaches for her discarded tee on the floor to softly wipe her essence from the brunettes face.

 

"I will be after you fuck me," she says seductively. 

 

Emma groans and leans in to kiss her, tasting herself on her lips as she reaches around Regina's back to untie her belt. Once she has freed her hands she pulls them around her front, between them, and she gently rubs her wrists, still not breaking the kiss as Regina pushes her onto the bed. She climbs on top of her, "my turn," she excitedly declares before moving up the blondes body until she's spread above the Emma’s face, ready for her turn to be eaten out.

 

xxxxxxxxxxxx END OF INTIMACY xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

"Nhhhh," Emma groans as she wraps her arms tighter around the body trying to move away from her. 

 

"Emma, I need to go to the bathroom," Regina says as she tried to pry strong hands from her stomach.

 

"No, stay with me," she sleepily mumbles.

 

"I'll be right back. I promise." At that, Emma loosens her grip and lets the brunette go.

 

"What time is it?" Emma asks when Regina slips back into bed with her.

 

"Just after eight."

 

"Where's Henry?" The blonde asks, having gotten used to being woken up by the boy climbing into bed with them much earlier than this each morning.

 

"He's downstairs with Zelena and Kat. I could hear them talking."

 

"Mmm," she snuggles into Regina's neck, "so, we can stay here a bit longer?" Regina can feel the blonde grin against her neck as strong hands move down her back to her bottom.

 

"Last night wasn't enough for you?" She teasingly asks the younger woman.

 

"I can never get enough of you," Emma replies as she kisses the column of her throat.

 

"I'm glad to hear it, but we should probably get up. We did promise Henry that we would go kayaking after breakfast."

 

"We could stay here and skip breakfast," Emma answers with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

 

"And have you complaining that you are starving? No way. You're worse than Henry when you are hungry. Come on, let's get up." She says as she removes Emma's massaging hands from her backside and slips from under the cover.

 

"Fiiiiine," she grumbles childishly before slipping out of the bed as well.

 

After getting ready they make their way downstairs to join everyone in the kitchen. They greet the other two women who seem to be just as tired as they were but Henry was his usual excitable self.

 

"Hi mommy! Hi Emma! Aunty Kat made me eggs and soldiers!" He declared as they stepped into the room.

 

"Good morning my little prince," Regina kisses his head and brushes his hair back with her fingers, "that was very nice of her wasn't it? Did you say thank you?" She asks as she takes a seat next to them.

 

"Yes, mommy," he proudly informs her for remembering his manners.

 

Emma pours them both a coffee and joins them at the table, both of the other women are only ready sipping on their own mugs of caffeine. She takes a seat on the other side of Henry and declares, “that should give you plenty of energy for kayaking but I think I might just beat you and your mom this time.”

 

“No, you won’t. We will beat you again,” he giggles.

 

“Only if you cheat again,” she teases back to him.

 

“I didn’t cheat!” He answers seriously.

 

“Maybe you didn’t but I think your mom did,” she whispers conspiratorially to him, even though everyone else could hear her. “Why don’t you join my team and your mom can be with Kat or Zelena?”

 

He looks insulted at the mere suggestion of abandoning his mother. “No, I stay with my mommy.” He adored Emma but he was a mommy’s boy through and through.

 

“That’s my good boy,” Regina praises and kisses his cheek.

 

Kat and Zee watch the interaction of the small family with fondness in their eyes. Emma had slotted in so well with them and both Regina and Henry were happier than ever. 

 

“Henry, why don’t we go get you ready so that Emma and your mom can have breakfast and then we can all go kayaking?” Kathryn offers.

 

“Okay, Aunty Kat,” he happily agrees. He climbs down off his seat, Emma keeps a close eye on him and her hands are ready in case he were to fall. Once he was down he takes Kats hand and they make their way to his room.

 

“You are awfully quiet,” Regina states as she eyes Zelena suspiciously.

 

“I’m not used to being up this early in the morning,” the redhead replies before taking a sip of her coffee.

 

“What would you like for breakfast, beautiful?” Emma asks Regina as she gets up from the table and opens the fridge, not quite sure what is going on between the sisters. “Ooh I almost forget we have sausages. Would you like some sausages?” She asks as she holds up the packet.

 

Regina doesn’t answer her, she just keeps staring at her sister. “Really, you’re not even going to make a comment on that?” She thought Zelena had to be up to something because it wasn’t like her to be quiet or miss a chance to say something crass.

 

“No. I’m on my best behaviour. I told you, I feel bad about how I behaved yesterday so I’m trying to be better,” Zelena honestly answers.

 

Regina raises a questioning eyebrow, “really?”

 

“Yes, really. In fact, I was talking with Kathryn and we came to the realisation that you two haven’t really had any time together by yourselves since we went to the weekend camp. So, I was thinking if you two wanted to go out together tonight we will look after Henry for you.”

 

At this point Emma had closed the fridge and was just as suspicious as Regina was. 

 

“Stop looking at me like that,” she directs to both of the women. “The town is only a couple of miles away, you could go on a date or whatever.”

 

Regina looks to Emma who is smiling wildly and nodding at her, encouraging the brunette to take her sister up on the offer.

 

“That would be great, thank you,” she finally agrees, taking Zelena on her word.

 

“Well, that’s settled then,” Zelena says before draining her mug and putting it in the sink before leaving the room.

 

Emma and Regina look at each other again. “That was unexpected,” Emma says.

 

“It most certainly was. I hope she isn’t up to something,” Regina ponders

 

“I don’t think she is. She seems like she really did just want to make up for yesterday,” the blonde gives her opinion as she stands behind the seated brunette so she can hold around her and rest her chin on her shoulder. “Now, breakfast, what would you like?”

 

“I think I’ll have some muesli.”

 

Emma pulls a face that Regina can’t see because she had her heart set on sausages but muesli was probably a smarter idea than fried food. “Muesli it is,” she says with a kiss to the top of Regina’s head before she sets about making their breakfast.

 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

“I guess this is our first real date in the real world,” Emma says as they walk hand in hand along the winding country lane that leads to the town where they will be having dinner on their date. The sun was hanging low in the sky but it was still warm out as they meandered through the fields of colourful flowers.

 

“I guess seen as it’s our first date, the most you are going to be getting is a peck on the cheek tonight.”

 

“I wouldn’t expect anything more.” Emma winks and they both laugh because of the memories of what they had done less than twenty four hours previously.

 

“Good, I wouldn’t want you to be disappointed,” Regina says with a smile.

 

Emma separates their hands so she can hold around Regina’s shoulder and pull her closer. Close was just never close enough when it came to the woman she loves.

 

Regina intertwines her hand with the one on her shoulder and they walk in companionable silence, enjoying the peace of their time together.

 

“I’m going to miss you guys so much when you have to leave,” Emma eventually says, breaking the silence and unintentionally disrupting the harmonious atmosphere. “Shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin things,” she apologises when she feels Regina’s shoulders sag under her arm.

 

“It’s okay. I’ve just been trying not to think about that. I want to enjoy our time together without thinking about not being able to touch you when I want or not being able to share our days together,” she sighs.

 

“Can we forget I said anything? I don’t want to ruin our first real date.”

 

“Of course, but we will have to talk about this sooner or later.

 

“We will, sweetheart, but for now let’s make the most of just being together.”

Neither of them really wanted to drop it but they weren’t sure what other choice they had.

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

The restaurant wasn’t particularly fancy but it was the only one in the town so it wasn’t like they had a choice in the matter. They were both just happy to have this time together. 

 

Once their drinks had arrived, a dry white wine for Regina and a beer for Emma, they ordered their food and then they were left alone to make small talk as they waited for their meals. The problem was, after the subject Emma had brought up on their walk over, as much as they tried, there wasn’t anything either of them could think about but their separation in a few days’ time.

 

Regina could clearly see Emma struggling with it, the blonde had told her all about her abandonment issues and the many foster families she was bounced around during her childhood. She didn’t want her girlfriend to ever feel anything like that with her so she took a deep breath and decided to jump straight in. “You know… we are advertising for a gym teacher in Storybrooke High,” Regina casually mentions as Emma sips on her beer. “We are expanding that department so we need a new teacher.”

 

“Right… urm... good luck with that?” She kind of questions, unsure of what her response is meant to be.

 

Regina good naturedly rolls her eyes at her slightly dense girlfriend. She’s just about to explain what she means when their food arrives. Emma digs in, always eager to eat. Regina moves the pieces of chicken around her plate before placing her cutlery down, catching the blondes attention.

 

“Is everything okay?” Emma asks after swallowing her mouthful of food.

 

“Emma, what if you applied for the job in the high school?”

 

“But I’m not a teacher,” the blonde counters.

 

Regina couldn’t really argue with that, the blonde had the experience but not the qualifications for the job. “Well, the great thing about being the Mayor is that I can use my discretion. You could be the assistant to the head of the department, Fred, Kathryn’s husband. You could work for the qualification alongside doing that. You would be qualified in no time at all.” Regina happily smiles at what she considers a fantastic plan.

 

Emma seems to consider it before opening her mouth, “but I couldn’t do the commute every day. It’s way too far.”

 

Regina has to resist the urge not to roll her eyes at the fact Emma wasn’t catching on. She reminded herself that Emma was so used to nobody wanting her that she would never expect to be wanted. “Okay, let me speak plainly. How about you come live with me and Henry, in our home, and you work in Storybrooke Hugh. That way, we wouldn’t have to be apart. Problem solved.”

 

Emma puts her own cutlery down and stares at Regina, wondering if anything else was to come. She didn’t think it could be that simple to have everything she wanted. When nothing else comes from Regina she has to accept that the brunette was completely serious. “You want me to move in with you and be with you every single day? Would Henry be okay with this? What is you got fed up of having me around after a while?”

 

Regina’s heart constricts at the level of self-doubt brewing behind the shimmering eyes. “Yes, I want to be with you every single day,” she promises as she reaches across the table to take the blondes hands in her own. “Since we met I have spent most days wishing my life away as I look forward to our weekends together. I thought I was happy before you came along but I’ve realised that I am only truly happy when we are together, you, me, and Henry. I never though I was capable of feeling this sort of happiness. I know it’s unconventional because we haven’t been together very long but I am certain of how I feel about you Emma. You definitely don’t need to worry about Henry either, you are all he ever talks about. Well, you and cars.”

 

Emma breaks a smile at that comment. “We could really do this?” She asks as she fights to hold back tears.

 

“If you want. I don’t want to push you into anything but I am so ready for this. I am ready to never have to say goodbye to you again. Life is too short to just float through without going for what you want and I have done it for too long. I want us to live together and be a real family who eat breakfast with each other every morning and go for days out together without ever having to think about the next goodbye.”

 

“I want that too,” Emma says as she wipes at her eyes. No one had ever made her feel this wanted and she didn’t really know how to compute that feeling.  
“You do? So it’s settled?” Regina sounds like a kid who had just been given the keys to a candy store.

 

“As long as Henry is okay with it,” Emma agrees and smiles just as wildly as Regina.

 

“He will be,” Regina promises and squeezes Emma’s hands before making a start on her meal.

 

The weight of their worries had lifted from their shoulders and the atmosphere felt lighter. It wasn’t as if they had promised to marry each other but for two people who had always struggled with love, it was a massive step. They both knew it was quite soon in their relationship but the timespan didn’t matter to two people who are so in love.

 

The rest of the meal passed in smiles and giggles that wouldn’t have been out of place on a teenagers first date. Regina also filled Emma in on what the job and working for a teachers qualification would entail.

 

They decided to skip dessert so that they could grab a cone from the ice cream parlour they had frequented since arriving at the cottage. Emma paid the bill and they headed down the street to grab their treat before making the walk home. Regina took a vanilla cone and Emma got a triple cone of mint, banana, and coffee.

 

“You and your odd combination of flavours,” Regina observes out loud with a small smile and a shake of her head. Each time they had visited the store Emma would try an array of flavours that never seemed to complement each other and for some reason the brunette found it quite endearing, almost childlike. 

 

“Want to try it?” The blonde offers as she holds her cone out for the brunette.

 

“No, thank you,” Regina answers with a scrunch of her nose.

 

Emma shrugs her shoulders and begins devouring her cone. Regina has to shake her head to clear it of the dirty thoughts that pop up in her mind with the way Emma uses her mouth to finish her dessert before Regina finishes her small portion.

 

Being the height of Summer, it was still fairly warm and quite light out as they walked the lane at the edge of the forest on the approach to the cottage.

“Remember the other day when I asked if you had ever had sex in public?” Regina queries as she comes to a stop next to a tree with low hanging branches.

 

“I do,” Emma answers with a smile as she walks Regina back until the brunette is trapped between her and the tree, “why?” The smile on her face tells Regina that the blonde knows exactly why she is asking her that question.

 

“Because there is a first time for everything and I want to share this first with you,” the brunette says before pulling the blonde down into a heated kiss.

 

Half an hour later they walked into the cottage, trying to keep the self-satisfied smiles off their faces, so as to not let the other women in on what they had just been up to.

 

“How was Henry?” Is the first thing Regina asks her sister and friend.

 

“As good as gold. He’s been sleeping since you left. We’ve not heard a peep from him all night,” Kathryn answers.

 

“Did you have a nice night?” Zelena asks.

 

“It was wonderful,” Emma answers with a nod as she sits down and pulls Regina into her lap.

 

Zelena holds back the scoff that she was usually give them for being so cute together. “What did you get up to?”

 

Emma blushes a tiny bit and avoids eye contact with the redhead, who she knows can sniff out weakness from a mile away.

 

The redhead and older blonde look at each other after noticing Emma’s reddening cheeks. 

 

“We just had dinner and then we got an ice cream for the walk home,” the brunette innocently answers.

 

“I’m going to make some more tea, would you both like a cup?” Kathryn offers.

 

They both nod their acceptance of the offer and breathe a sigh of relief at not being asked anything more, their late evening forest rendezvous remaining their secret.

 

“Oh, Regina,” Kathryn catches her attention as she passes by the lovebirds.

 

“Yes?”

 

“You have a twig in your hair.” 

 

Both Kathryn and Zelena laugh as the brunettes embarrassment as she runs her hand through her hair, finding the twig. 

 

The couple had tried their best to tidy themselves up after their escapades against the tree but they must have missed the small twig because of their bliss induced highs. Their rendezvous wasn’t such a secret after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not going to try and make this a BDSM story or anything like that. I just wanted Emma to know how much Regina trusts her.


	23. Best friend

The next morning Kat and Zelena make themselves scarce after breakfast. The night before Regina had told them both about how she had asked Emma to move in with her and Henry, so they went to go and sunbathe by the lake, giving the women a chance to talk it over with the young boy. Neither Regina nor Emma could fully commit to the idea of moving in together unless Henry was okay with it. Given how much Henry adored the blonde, they were both quietly confident it would all be okay.

“I have a very important question to ask you, Henry, and it’s important that you are honest with me, okay?” Regina tentatively asks her son who is sat between the both of them on the couch.

He looks up at her with all the innocence of a child his age, “I will, mommy.”

“Good boy,” she praises as she runs her hand through his hair. “You know Emma lives on her own and she works far away from us, so she can only visit us on the weekends and on holidays?”

He looks at Emma quickly, who offers him a small smile, before looking back at his mom. “Yeah, it makes me sad when she has to go home,” he sombrely replies.

Regina chances a quick glance at Emma and they give each other a confident smile. Neither of them liked that it made him sad but they had to appreciate that it was to their advantage in this situation.

“Would you like it if Emma came to live with us? That way you would never have to miss her,” Regina asks cheerfully.

“Really?” All traces of sadness have left his body and voice as he looks at Emma with an excited smile.

“Yeah, kid. We could have breakfast together every morning and I can read you a bedtime story every night.” She says it as if it is an incentive for him but really it was she who loved the idea of doing those things.

“And we can play cars!” He squeals in delight.

“Yep, we can plays cars every day,” Emma confirms.

“I want that,” he bounces a little as they discuss doing his favourite things together.

“So, you are happy for Emma to come and live with us?” Regina asks for crystal clear clarification.

“Yeah! That would be the bestest!” 

Emma scoops him up onto her lap, his little arms instinctively wrapping around her neck as she holds him tight. She clenches her jaw, she is not going to cry, she is not going to cry, she plays over and over in her head like a mantra.

Regina rubs his back, proud of his easy acceptance of them and their relationship. “Do you know what else we can do every day?” Regina asks him.

He turns his head to look at her but he doesn’t remove his arms from around Emma’s neck. “What, mommy?” He asks, sounding even more excited. He couldn’t think of anything better than playing cars with Emma and having a bedtime story off her every night.

“Tickle you!” She answers as she softly attacks his sides, sending him to fits of laughter. He little body flops down as if he is boneless as he tries to escape her teasing hands. Emma holds him securely so he doesn’t fall.

“Emma! Save me!” He squeals between bouts of giggles.

With one hand she starts attacking Regina with tickles. Considering the two brunettes weren’t blood related they were just as ticklish as each other and Emma made the most of it. Regina instantly stops tickling Henry and tries to pulls back from her girlfriends hand. Henry takes advantage of this and climbs onto his mom so he can help Emma playfully attack her. They don’t stop until she promises them that they can have lunch at the diner in town.

“Go and get your swimming trunks,” Regina tells Henry as she tries to get her breath back from all the laughing and fending off her two loves that she has done. “And be quick,” she shouts after him, knowing he got easily distracted and might take a while.

“Okay, mommy!” He agrees as he jumps down off Emma’s lap and runs out of the room to go and get his swimming trunks.

“I think I’m having second doubts about you coming to live with us. I can’t have you both always ganging up on me.” She cups Emma’s chin and kisses her soundly, making sure that the sometimes insecure blonde knows she isn’t serious.

“You caught us,” Emma smirks as they separate their lips, “I was going to move in and take over and we were going to kick you out.”

“And then who will you kiss?” Regina asks with a smirk of her own as she joins their lips one again, her teeth gently nipping at the blondes bottom lip.

“Good point. I guess I’ll have to keep you around.” Emma murmurs.

A naked Henry runs back into the room holding his swimming trunks in the air as he shouts, “got them,” causing both of the women to pull apart.

“Why didn’t you put them on when you took your pyjamas off?” Regina questions.

“You told me to be quick,” he answers innocently as he sits on the floor and begins pulling the material up his legs.

She couldn’t really argue with his childish logic. “Are you sure you want to be part of this craziness every day?” She jovially whispers to Emma.

“There’s nothing I want more,” Emma answers sincerely, sealing her promise with a chaste kiss.

A few minutes later and they are joining Kathryn and Zelena at the edge of the lake. Regina sunbathes with the other women and tells them all about Henry’s excitement at Emma moving in with them. Emma and Henry head straight for the water for a splash around.

“We are going to have to soundproof the poor boys room,” Zelena quips. A raised eyebrow from her sister has her elaborating, “we could hear you last night. Even after your frolic in the fields you managed to keep us awake with your boink in the bedroom.” Even Kathryn laughs at the redheads phrasing.

Regina blushes and clears her throat, to the amusement of her sister and friend. “We are going to have lunch in town,” she says to change the subject.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

“Drive safe and I’ll see you both tomorrow night,” Regina says as she leans in through the drivers window of her sisters car.

It was late on Saturday afternoon and after almost a week of all being together in the cabin it was time for Zelena and Kathryn to head back to Storybrooke. 

Emma and Regina were going to finish up packing and tidying the place up before they leave to go to Emma’s for the night. It was their last night together so Emma was taking them out for dinner and then tomorrow afternoon Regina and Henry would make the long journey home. The other women had agreed to share a bottle or two of wine together at Regina’s home on the Sunday night as a way to finish off the brunettes holiday.

“We will,” Kathryn smiles brightly. “Thank you for letting us stay,” she then calls through her rolled down window to Emma who is carrying Henry.

“You are welcome. Goodbye ladies,” Emma calls back.

“Bye Aunty Kat. Bye Aunty Zelena,” Henry shouts towards the women.

Regina steps back from the car when Zelena ignites the engine. “Bye Kat, Bye Zee,” Regina bids farewell.

“Bloody hell. What is this, an episode of the Waltons? Piss off and we’ll see you tomorrow,” Zelena jokingly scoffs towards her sister, making sure to be quiet enough that Henry couldn’t hear her from where he was a few feet away. She waves towards him and the blonde as they pull away and drive down the dirt track.

The little family waves them off. Emma walks to Regina and slings an arm over her shoulder, pulling the brunette against her. “Let’s finish packing so we can go back to mine.”

They do just that. Emma locks up behind them, pocketing the Key to the cabin so she can give it back to Graham on Monday, when she will also be handing in her notice. She was hoping she would be able to get away with only working one weeks’ notice but that was something she would have to discuss with Mr Gold after the weekend.

Regina and Henry are waiting for her in the car. She throws the last of the bags into the trunk and climbs into the drivers seat. She starts up the car and they set off back to Boston for their last night together until she will be able to move in with them. 

After a few games of ‘I-Spy’ and ‘Car Bingo’ Henry is fast asleep in his booster seat and a comfortable silence settles over the car. The women are joined by their entwined fingers over the centre console, Emma’s thumb rubs over the back of Regina’s hand as the brunettes eyelids slowly droop lower and lower until she has joined Henry in the land of nod.

Emma smiles to herself as she thinks about all the possibilities that lay ahead of them, of all the trips they will be able to take together instead of her having to drive backwards and forwards from Boston on her own every weekend.

 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sunday afternoon came around way too quickly for everyone’s liking. 

“But you said Emma was coming to live with us!” Henry petulantly shouts as he stomps his little foot and tears well up in his eyes.

“She is, sweetheart, but she has to tell her boss that she isn’t going to work there anymore and she has to sort out a few other things here before she can join us.” She curses herself for not explaining more clearly to Henry the other day that they would have one more goodbye to say to Emma before she would be able to move in with them for good..

Emma anxiously fidgets on her couch as she watches the little boys meltdown. He doesn’t cry very often but it breaks her heart every time that he does. Regina on the other hand was a little more immune to his tears.

“How long will that take?” He asks as he wipes at his cheeks, avoiding Regina’s hand when she tries to reach out for him.

“Just until the end of the week,” Emma answers before Regina can.

The brunette looks at her quizzically. They had discussed a possible date that Emma should have everything wrapped up by in Boston, but that was at least two weeks away. “After work on Friday I will drive all the way to your house and when you wake up on Saturday we can have breakfast together like we do every Saturday, but this time I won’t have to leave.”

“Promise?” He asks as he chokes back a sob. He was used to waiting until the weekend to see Emma anyway so it calmed him down.

“I promise, little man.” She holds her arms out for him and he accepts the hug, his snotty, tear-stained face pressing into her shoulder and dampening the material of her shirt.

Regina gives her a weak smile, still unsure as to how the blonde will be ready to move by Friday. 

“I’m going to need you to do me a favour, buddy.” Emma asks the burrowing boy in her arms.

“What favour?” He asks the blonde as he looks up at her.

“Can you take of your mom for me until I get there on Friday?”

He sniffs and nods his head. “I can do that. I can take care of you, mommy.” 

Regina pulls him from Emma and into a hug. “Thank you my little prince.”

“Emma leans over to whisper into his ear. “Don’t let her get into any mischief.” He giggles and she gives him a little wink. Regina smiles and rolls her eyes, loving their bond and their care for her and each other.

Once all the tears have gone and he is smiling again, Regina tells Henry to go and get all of his possessions together. She would do a sweep of his room in case he forgot anything before they left but she just needed a minute with Emma. “How are you going to be able to move in on Friday? You said you would be lucky if you could convince your boss to let you only work two weeks’ notice.”

“Yeah, well… what’s he going to do, fire me?” She says with a laugh. “I have told Henry it will be Friday… so it will be Friday. I will handle Mr Gold and everything else.” She reassures the brunette.

After gathering up all of their belongings Emma helps them carry all of their luggage down to the car. Henry had picked out a few of his favourite cars from the big box of them that Emma had bought for him. She told him that she would bring the rest with her on Friday and he even managed to convince her and his mom that his racing car bed should move in along with Emma.

Once Henry was securely fastened into his booster seat it was time for the ladies to say goodbye.

“Why does this feel harder than usual?” Emma pouts as she holds onto Regina’s waist and leans her forehead against her loves.

Regina slips her arms around the taller woman’s neck. “Probably because this has been the longest we have spent together and it was completely amazing.”

Emma’s lips twitch. “Yeah, that’s probably it. Will you call me as soon as you get home?”

“Of course I will, darling. Even if I forget, Henry will remind me.” They both laugh at that, the little boy would go on Skype or call Emma at every given opportunity. 

“You should probably hit the road. You’ve got visitors coming over.” Emma says in reference to the two friends that were going to Regina’s for a drink.

“Indeed. Five more sleeps,” Regina solemnly whispers against pale lips before capturing them in a not fit for public kiss.

“Five more sleeps,” Emma repeats back to her girlfriend when the kiss ends. She opens the car door for Regina and closes it behind her when the brunette is safely sitting in the drivers seat. She starts up the car and clicks the electric window down.

“I love you, darling. I can’t wait until Friday.”

“I love you too. Friday can’t come quick enough. Be a good boy, Henry,” she says as she looks over Regina’s shoulder to the boy in the backseat.

“I will be. I love you, Emma.”

“I love you too, buddy.” She leans in for one more quick kiss from Regina. “Drive safe and don’t forget to call me.”

“I will. See you soon.”

With that Regina drives away, leaving Emma to toe at the ground with her boot as she waves them off, wishing more than anything that she was going with them. “Five more sleeps,” she reminds herself, out loud.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“Come in,” Mr Gold shouts from inside his office. 

“Good morning, Miss Swan. It’s a bit early for you to be here, is it not?” It was not long after eight and Emma wasn’t due in until nine. She had come in early because she hadn’t been able to sleep due to all of her excitement at soon moving in with the only two people she ever thought of as family. She had even managed to pack all of her non-essential items and deconstruct Henry’s bed ready for the move. 

“I have something I need to discuss with you,” she says seriously as she takes a seat opposite him.

“That sounds ominous. Oh god… you haven’t crashed into my car again, have you?”

“What? No.” She looks offended by his accusation. It had been a one off accident! “I want to give you this.” She hands him a small white envelope.

“What is it?” Her asks as he takes it from her.

“My resignation.”

“Oh. Well that certainly is a shame. Is there nothing I can do to change your mind?” He asks as she beings reading the few sentences on the sheet of paper inside of the envelope. The car incident aside, he was fond of the charming blonde. She was a good worker and more reliable than most of the other staff.

“No, Sir. I am moving to live with my girlfriend and her son, my family,” she says softly.

“Friday? You want to finish on Friday? You know I need at least a months’ notice at this time of year,” he says not too unkindly when he’s finished reading her resignation letter.

“Yeah. I know my timing is shitty but I’ve waited all my life to have a family and now that I have one I don’t want to wait any longer to be with them.”

He sighs and looks over at her but she looks down, avoiding his eyes. He knows all about her past and how she was bounced around in foster homes. “Kids grow up so quickly,” he mutters as he looks at the framed picture of him and Neal sitting on his desk, “you should be with them.”

Emma finally looks up at him, she didn’t think it was going to be this easy to convince Gold to allow her to have such a short notice period. “Really?” She asks suspiciously.

He chuckles a little at the shocked look on her face. “Really. You have a beautiful little family and you should be with them.”

She looks at him questionably. How the hell did he know what they looked like?

“Do you really think I don’t know what goes on around here? I knew they were staying here the other week. That Henry is a chatty little thing,” he adds in amusement.

She was dumbfounded. Gold had known they were there all along and he had even spoken to Henry at some point. He could have thrown them all out but he hadn’t. “Thank you, Mr Gold. For everything.” They both know she is referring to him letting the two brunettes stay as well as accepting her resignation with such a short notice period.

“That is quite alright, dear. Now if you wouldn’t mind, I have quite a bit of work to do. I have to find a new staff member by next Monday.”

Emma takes the hint and thanks him again before leaving to grab a coffee in the staffroom and call Regina to tell her the good news.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Emma is sitting at a table with Ruby and August during their lunch break. The blonde hadn’t had a chance to tell anyone else that she is quitting her job and she wanted to tell Ruby above anyone else because she was going to miss her the most, but the lanky brunette wouldn’t shut up about some blonde chick with big tits that she had pulled on Saturday night.

“And this thing she did with her tongue…” Ruby tries to demonstrate on her burger bun, causing Emma and August to wear the same look of disdain on their faces.

“Emma, I can’t believe you are leaving us.” Graham interrupts as he takes a seat at the table with his lunch tray.

Ruby retracts her tongue from the two pieces of bread. “What?” She directs to her blonde friend.

“I handed my notice in this morning. I finish on Friday and I’m moving to live with Regina and Henry,” she sheepishly explains to her friend.

The tension at the table is immediate and palpable to the two men who quietly stare at each other as Ruby sits up straighter and tenses her jaw.

“And I am only finding this out now? We are meant to be friends! Why am I the last to know?” She angrily asks, keeping her voice just below a shout. It was quiet in the dining hall but there were still a few guests around.

“I haven’t told anyone but Gold. You were going to be the next person I was going to tell but you were talking about the tongue twizzler with the titanic tits,” she tries to joke.

It falls flat. Ruby pushes her chair back from the table and walks away for them. Graham and August are both looking down at their trays, pushing their food around, not wanting to get caught in the middle of two arguing women.

“Rubes. Ruby,” Emma calls after her friend. Ruby doesn’t even look back, she just walks away. “Shit,” Emma grumbles before getting up to chase her friend outside.

“Ruby,” she says again as she places her hand on the marching woman’s shoulder. “Rubes, please stop and just talk to me,” she pleads with her best friend.

“Talk to you? Why? You didn’t come to talk to me,” she petulantly argues.

“Stop,” Emma commands loudly as she steps in front of her, blocking her path.

Ruby huffs and crosses her arms over her chest as she comes to a standstill. “We are meant to be friends,” she says, deflated by the news. Her anger had vanished and was being replaced by sadness. She clenches her jaw, trying to hold back her tears.

“We are, Ruby. You are my best friend. I’m sorry you had to find out like that. I was going to tell you. I’m sorry. Please don’t cry, you’ll make me cry,” she pleads as a solitary tear rolls down her friends high cheekbone.

“I’m your best friend?”

“Of course you are. I’m going to miss you more than anyone else.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes,” Emma confirms, making the tears Ruby was holding back finally fall. “Come here,” Emma says as she pulls her friend into a hug. “I was going to invite you around tonight for a takeout and a few drinks so we can talk properly, would you like that?”

She nods against Emma’s broad shoulder. “I can’t believe you are leaving me you stupid asshole,” she berates with a watery laugh after a few minutes.

“I will still come to visit you and Granny, and you can always come visit me too. Distance can’t destroy our friendship if we don’t let it.”

“She must be a fantastic lay if you are moving all that way for her,” Ruby teases as she wipes her face on Emma’s shirt to purposely annoy the blonde.

That was twice in only a couple of days that she got covered in someone’s snot. “Shut up, idiot,” Emma chuckles. “But yeah, she is,” she adds, making her friend laugh. “Let’s go and do the safety check for the ‘Crash and Splash’ course and get this day over with so we can go back to mine and get rat-arsed,” Emma suggests.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Emma stops at a liquor store after work to stock up for the night and Ruby goes home to get changed, agreeing to pick up a Chinese takeout when she goes over to the blondes later that evening. That gives Emma enough time to have her regular Skype chat with her two loves before Ruby comes over.

“I kept my promise, Emma. I took care of mommy and she didn’t get up to no misteef!” He proudly tells her during their chat.

“Mischief,” Regina sweetly corrects him.

He then tells Emma all about his day with his Grandma and how they fed the ducks at the pond and that his Grandma wouldn’t let him go swimming with them. Apparently since their mini holiday Henry now thought every body of water was there for him to swim in.

When it’s his bedtime Emma blows a kiss into the camera for him. “Love you, buddy. Only four more sleeps!”

“Then you will be here forever!” He blows her a kiss back. “Love you too, Emma.”

“Go pick out a book and I’ll come through to read you a bedtime story in a few minutes,” Regina instructs him.

Once he has gone Emma quickly goes into a bit more detail about the few texts she had managed to send Regina throughout the day, the ones telling her about how upset Ruby was.

“I’m sorry you had a rough day, darling. I’ll make it up to you when you get here on Friday,” Regina promises with a salacious wink.

A knock at Emma’s apartment door alerts her to Ruby’s arrival. “Shit. I have to go, beautiful. Four more sleep.”

“Four more sleep,” Regina repeats back to her.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“You know what we should do?” Ruby slurs after her fourth beer and sixth shot.

“What’s that?” Emma asks. She hadn’t drank as much as her friend but she was still a bit tipsy.

“We should call Regina and tell her to move here! That way you won’t have to leave!” She exclaims like she had just cracked the code to the Universe.

“Henry has school in Storybrooke, and they have friends and family there. They would have to give up a lot more than I do.”

“You have to give up me, what’s more important than that?” Ruby asks in mock hurt.

“I’m not giving you up. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. You’re like an STD, annoying and hard to get rid of,” she teases her friend.

A middle finger and a scoff is all she gets in return from her drunk friend. She was going to miss this. She was going to miss Ruby and their late night drinking. She was going to have to do something special for her friend. It was because of Ruby that she met Regina after all.


	24. Early release

They were all a bit hungover as they sat in the dining hall eating their lunches. It was Friday afternoon and they had all gone out for a few drinks for Emma's leaving do the night before. 

 

"Hey guys," the blonde merrily chirps as she joins them with her lunch tray. She had sneaked off a little earlier than the rest of them so she could get home and have her regular bedtime call with Regina, something the brunette had chastised her for.

 

"Where did you run off to last night?" Mulan questions Emma.

 

"Home. I had some last minute things to take care of," she replies as she digs into her lunch, avoiding eye contact with any of her friends.

 

"Liar. You went home to call Regina," Ruby calls her out on her bullshit. She knew her friend didn't like to miss out on her daily Skype chats with Henry or her goodnight calls with Regina. The blonde had even managed to squeeze in a Skype chat with Henry whilst they were getting ready to go out the night before.

 

Emma coyly smiles at being caught out.

 

You are so whipped," August chips in, making everyone but Emma chuckle. Philip does the accompanying sound effect and Emma just flips them both the bird.

 

"I can't wait until the end of the day and I can just hit the road," she says to change the subject. She didn’t mean to be insensitive but she was just so excited.

 

She had said her goodbyes to everyone during the week, she told them all that she didn't want to make a big thing about it on her last day because she didn't want to get upset.

 

"Oh yeah, about that..." Ruby says with a devious smile.

 

"What?" Emma asks sternly. There was no way she was going to cover someone’s night shift if that was about to pop up.

 

"No need to get arsey," Ruby laughs at her suspicious friend who is squinting at her. "We have all discussed it and between us we have managed to cover your afternoon lessons. So you are free to go. You'll be able to see Henry before he goes to bed if you leave now."

 

"Are you serious?" She looks around to her other friends for confirmation, she wouldn't put is past Ruby to mess with her.

 

"Mulan and I are covering the paddle boarding session," Aurora confirms with a smile.

 

"I'm doing your archery session," August chimes in before stuffing his mouth with another bite of burger.

 

"And I have your rock climbing class and it has all been cleared with Mr Gold," Ruby chirpily adds.

 

"Thank you, guys," she says sincerely as she wipes at her teary eyes. She takes a deep breath and stands up. "I gotta go," she beams, "I have to be with them."

 

She quickly hugs them all and they say their final goodbyes, except for Ruby who walks with Emma to her car.

 

"Are you sure you are still okay to drive the removal van tomorrow?" Emma had packed a few boxes of clothes and toiletries into her car but it was only a small vehicle and she still had all of her sporting equipment as well as Henry's bed to take to Maine. When she had informed Ruby that she was going to hire a couple of removal guys to do it for her her friend had offered to do it instead. It would give her a chance to check out Storybrooke and spend a little more time with Emma. She had been planning on driving back the same day but when Regina found out that she was helping Emma she had insisted that she stay over for the night so she could rest between the journeys.

 

"Yes, of course. As long as Regina is still okay with me crashing there for the night?"

 

"She is. She has already made up the bed in the spare room for you. Here's the key for the apartment and my offer still stands, if you want to use it for the next six weeks you are more than welcome to.” She digs out the key from her pocket and hands it over to Ruby. “It's paid that far in advance so someone might as well get some use from it.” She didn't care that she'd had to cover the rent that far in advance so that she could get out of her contract.

 

"I might just use it for the odd night here and there when I get lucky," she says with a wink.

 

Emma smiles and shakes her head. "I'm going to miss you."

 

"I'm going to see you tomorrow," the brunette teases, "but I'll miss you too."

 

Emma pulls her in for a hug when she notices her friends eyes starting to glaze over. "I love you, Rubes. You can come and see me anytime you want and I'll still visit you."

 

"I'm so happy for you, Ems. I’m glad you’ve found a family of your own, just don’t ever forget me. Now piss off before you ruin my mascara," she says with a laugh.

 

Emma jumps into her car and with a final wave she is setting off towards her future.

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

She was giddy with joy when she pulls up at the bottom of the street Regina's mansion was on. She didn't want to park right outside the house in case her two loves spotted her, she wanted to see the surprised looks on their faces when they answered her knock on the door. Many times during the drive over to them she had been tempted to pull over and call them so that they would know she would be before Henry's bedtime. The only thing that stopped her from doing that was the thought of their faces when she surprised them. 

 

It was almost seven but Emma had text Regina a couple of hours ago to say that she had just left work, keeping up with the their usual Friday evening routine as part of her charade.

 

She grabs her overnight bag but leaves the boxes in the car, she'll deal with them later that night or tomorrow. 

 

She peaks around the hedge that separates the property from the street to make sure that neither Regina nor Henry were near the front windows, before she ran up the garden path. She smiles to herself at her ninja prowess and excitedly raps her fist against the door. She's bouncing from foot to foot in excitement at seeing her two loves and the fact she couldn't believe that this was going to be her home from now on.

 

She listens out for any sounds that may indicate that Regina was about to answer the door. After a few moments she can hear Henry's voice and it’s getting closer. He wasn't allowed to answer the door on his own so that meant they were both there. When the door swung open Regina was carrying Henry on her hip. He was in his pyjamas and his hair was a little damp so he must have had his bath not too long ago. Regina was completely speechless when her eyes fell onto her blonde lover standing there. Henry immediately shrieked and threw himself towards her. Emma caught him and held him against herself, kissing the top of his head.

 

"Hey, buddy," she says without taking her eyes from Regina, who is now smiling widely. Regina was wearing a pair of well fitted yoga pants and one of Emma's tees that she had claimed as her own at the beginning of their relationship. Her feet were bare and her hair was tied back in a small ponytail, her makeup from her workday had been cleaned away but she look incredible, as always.

 

"Emma you're here!" He exclaims. "You were meant to be here tomorrow but you are here now." His clings to her neck and smiles at her

 

"I came here early so I could read you a bedtime story." It wasn’t exactly a lie.

 

"I don't want to go to sleep now. I want to stay with you," he pleads with big puppy dog eyes. 

 

Emma looks to Regina for help. This wasn't her decision to make but she was a sucker for those eyes and if Regina didn’t intervene she would give in to his every whim.

 

"Why don't you go pick out a film to watch, sweetheart," Regina offers him. This was a special occasion and he didn't have school in the morning so she couldn't see the harm in letting him stay up. He would probably fall asleep half way through the movie anyway.

 

"Okay, mommy," he happily agrees.

 

Emma puts him down and he excitedly makes his way to the lounge to pick out something for them to watch.

 

"Hey, beautiful," Emma finally acknowledges her girlfriend as she pulls her into a hug.

 

"Hello, darling. You must have broken every land speed record there is to get here in two hours," Regina teases her.

 

"Yeah, sorry for lying to you but I wanted it to be a surprise."

 

"That it most definitely is," Regina agrees as she pulls back from the hug a little so she can reach the blondes lips. "Hey," she whispers against them.

 

"Hey," Emma whispers back with a giant smile before cupping the brunettes face and kissing her like she hadn't seen her in years. Regina moans into her mouth when she feels Emma's tongue swipe against her own. 

 

"I picked a movie!" Henry shouts from the lounge.

 

They pull back from the kiss but Emma gives her another quick peck before leaning their foreheads together. "I've missed you."

 

"I've missed you too, darling. Are you ready for this?"

 

"What, watching 'Cars' for the millionth time?" She laughs because she knows that is exactly what Henry will have picked out.

 

"For living with us, for being a part of our family." Regina states a little more seriously. She hadn't been having doubts because this was exactly what she wanted but she knew it was rushed and Emma had given up her life to move in with them.

 

"I'm pretty sure that's what living here is going to entail... 'Cars' on a constant loop." Regina can't help but match her smile. "I am so ready for this," she finishes with complete sincerity.

 

"Hurry up," Henry shouts to them as he starts to grow impatient in his childish excitement.

 

Emma takes Regina's hand in her own and they walk to the lounge. Regina takes the DVD that Henry holds out for her, Emma had guessed correctly, it was of course ‘Cars.’ The blonde sits next to Henry on the couch but he crawls into her lap and leans back against her as the film begins, she wraps an arm around him and kisses the top of his head again. 

 

“Would you like something to eat?” Regina asks as she stands in front of the blonde, knowing that she wouldn’t have had any dinner in her rush to get to them.

 

Emma doesn’t say anything to her but she does offer a coy smile. She didn’t want Regina to be rushing around after her but she was starving. She had only eaten half of her lunch in her haste to leave work and she had only pulled over once to have a quick pee on the drive up, not bothering to pick up a snack for herself.

 

“There is some leftover spaghetti in the fridge or I can make you a sandwich?” She was aware that her girlfriend didn’t like to voice her wants if it meant that Regina had to go out of her way for her.

 

“Ooh spaghetti, please!” Her eyes gleam at the prospect of leftovers. Regina’s leftovers somehow tasted even better than when the meal had been freshly prepared.

 

“Can I have a biscuit, please, mommy?” Henry asks without taking his eyes from the movie playing on the TV.

 

“Of course you can. Would you like a hot chocolate as well?” This was a special day and she thought it would be nice for him to have a treat.

 

“Yes, please!” He was practically bouncing in Emma’s lap with excitement. He was allowed to stay up late and he was going to have a biscuit and a hot chocolate!

 

A few minutes later Regina comes back in with a tray holding the warmed pasta dish, a bottle of beer, a hot chocolate and biscuit, and a glass of wine for herself.

 

“Sit by the coffee table so you can drink your hot chocolate, my little prince.” She had only half filled the cup with the warm drink but she didn’t want to take any chances of him spilling it on himself.

 

He shimmies down Emma’s legs and kneels in front of the coffee table where Regina places the tray down. She puts the biscuit and drink in front of him and Emma reaches over to take the bowl of pasta. “Thank you, sweetheart,” the blonde says with a big smile. Regina picks up her wine and sits next to her girlfriend who is enthusiastically humming as she chews the delicious food. Henry blows on his chocolatey drink as his mother had taught him to do and she takes a sip of her wine, sighing happily at the wonderful domesticity of the evening.

 

Once her food was finished she puts the bowl back on the tray and grabs the beer, taking a long swig. “That’s was incredible, thank you.” She steals a quick kiss and before she can go in for another one Henry is climbing back onto her lap, his treats now finished.

 

Regina being who she is, she can’t relax with the empty dishes on her coffee table so she quickly gets up to clear them away, refusing Emma’s offer to clean up. When she walks back in she takes a second to look at her son sitting on her girlfriends lap, a strong arm wrapped protectively around his waist in case he was to fall, as they both watch the TV. It was just a normal situation but it filled her which so much happiness.

 

When Emma realises the brunette is in the doorway she holds out her free arm and gestures for Regina to come and join them. The brunette leans against Emma's side, her legs tucked under herself and the blonde wraps her arm around her shoulder, pulling her even closer and placing a kiss to her temple.

 

Emma didn't think she had ever felt so complete, everything she had every wanted was right here in her arms. 

 

Regina happily sighs as she snuggles into her girlfriend and son, this was pure bliss and now she could look forward to it every single day.

 

After about five minutes Henry turns in Emma’s arm and looks her straight in the eyes, “are you really staying?” His small eyes somehow looked bigger as he asks for confirmation of not having to be separated from his best friend. Regina raises her head from Emma’s shoulder to listen to their conversation.

 

“Yep, I’m living with you now. I don’t have my apartment anymore.”

 

“You promise not to leave?” His focus usually never leaves the screen when his favourite movie is on but this was obviously more important to him.

 

“I promise, buddy. I’m not going to leave you or your mom,” she gives Regina’s shoulder a little squeeze and Henry buries his face into her neck as he hugs her. He continues to watch the movie with the side of his face pressed against her chest, happy in the knowledge that she wouldn’t be leaving them ever again. 

 

Half an hour later he had fallen asleep against her chest so Regina stops the movie and whispers to Emma that they should take him to bed. She stands up, holding him a little tighter as he sleeps against her. 

 

Once he was tucked in they both kiss him goodnight and sneak out of the room, closing the door behind themselves.

 

As soon as Regina has shut the door Emma pulls her into her arms and walks backwards towards their bedroom. “I’ve been waiting all week to get you alone, Mayor Mills.”

 

“Is that so, Miss Swan?” 

 

“Oh yeah.”

 

“But we still have the rest of the movie to watch,” she teases.

 

“Hmm…” Emma pretends to think, “naked fun with my hot, hot girlfriend or watching the cartoon that I have already seen a gazillion times and will probably watch another gazillion times. Yeah… this is a tough one,” sarcasm dripping from her words.

 

“So… the cartoon then?” Regina asks in fake seriousness.

 

“Come here you,” Emma laughs as she picks the brunette up, slender legs automatically wrapping around her waist and plump lips attacking her neck. They both try to keep their laughter down, in order to not wake Henry, as Emma rushes to their bedroom, backheeling the door closed. She plops the giggling brunette onto the bed and kneels over her. Her smiles fades and the look on her face turns more serious. “You are so damn beautiful.”

 

Regina wants to smile and cry. No one had ever looked at her the way that Emma does and no one had ever made her feel the way that Emma does. She surges upwards, grabbing the blondes face and pulling her down into a rough kiss.

 

“Please…. Emma… please,” Regina begs as she pulls up the blondes top, exposing the hard abs that send a wave of liquid heat to her core.

 

Emma doesn’t need to be asked twice, she speedily pulls her top over her head and then does the same with Regina’s baggy tee. The brunette offers her assistance by unclasping her bra and pulling it down her arms in her need to be naked with her lover. Before her back has hit the bed again thin lips have closed around one of her hard nipples, the flick of a tongue over the hard bud has her moaning and entwining her hands into golden locks. “Just like that, baby…” she praises as her back arches, pushing more of her breast into the welcoming mouth.

 

When Emma switches her attention to the neglected nipple, Regina slips her hand down the blondes stomach and into her jeans where she begins to awkwardly unbutton the denim with one hand. When her mission is accomplished she seeks the band of the blondes underwear and dips her fingers below, finding the warm liquid she was after.

 

Emma’s mouth stops its suckling when two digits slip between her folds, a moan of delight catching in her throat, its escape blocked by the soft mound in her mouth.

 

“Don’t stop,” Regina demands, her hand tightening in the blondes hair. 

 

Coming to her senses and adjusting to the teasing fingers stroking between her centre and her clit, Emma holds her weight on one forearm and slips her other hand below the band of the yoga pants to match Regina’s stroking. “Oh… shit,” Regina groans, making Emma smile. She loved it when the prim and proper Mayor let go of herself in bed, she took personal pride in it in fact.

 

After many minutes of kissing and teasing strokes the blonde needs more, she needs her lover and she can’t wait. She circles the brunette’s entrance a few times before sinking her fingers deep inside of her. They both moan in unison. “I’m going to make you cum so hard,” the blonde promises.

 

“Two can play at that game,” Regina conspiringly whispers as she slips inside her lovers tight channel and wiggles her fingers. They often challenged each other to see who could make the other cum first.

 

“Challenge accepted,” Emma unconfidently whimpers before upping her game, moving inside of the brunette more firmly and sucking harshly on her neck, knowing Regina wouldn’t last long but she also knew that she wouldn’t either. Their combined noises and scents grow, filling the room with their passion. Emma licks up the column of her lovers olive neck and kisses her chin before dragging her lips over Regina’s and dominating her mouth. Their tongues and fingers work in rhythm as they build each other up.

 

Regina releases the blondes hair so she can stroke her abs before pulling her sports bra up to reveal small, firm breasts. She runs her hands over them, groping each globe of flesh before pinching each hard bud, causing Emma to fall out of rhythm. She smiles against her lovers mouth at that. 

 

“Cheat,” Emma mumbles, “using my weakness against me.” 

 

Regina grins devilishly as she adds a little twist to her pinch of the nipples and rubs the heel of her palm against the blondes bundle of nerves.

 

“Oh…fuuuuuuck.” Emma pushes down harder against the fingers inside of her as she groans her release into Regina’s neck, her own hand has completely stilled inside the brunette as pure bliss washes over her.

 

“You should know by now, I never lose this game,” Regina whispers into her ear when Emma’s breathing has evened out, causing them both to chuckle.

 

“That’s only because I’m always at a disadvantage,” she lifts her head to look Regina in her eyes, “how can I compete with such beauty? But I would like to point out… there have been some occasions when we have drawn in the past.”

 

“That may be but I have won now and I wish to claim my reward.” She pulls her fingers out of the blonde and pushes at her chest, Emma’s own essence streaking over her skin. She takes the hint and rolls over until she’s on her back. She watches as Regina removes the last of her clothes and spreads herself to kneel over Emma. “Now, why don’t you put that pretty mouth to good use?” She seductively suggests with a wink. 

 

“If you insist,” Emma agrees. 

 

Before Regina can reply she feels strong hands on her hips that lift her up until she’s kneeling above the blondes smiling face.

 

“I do insist,” Regina demands as her hands twist into blonde hair and pull her lovers mouth to her centre so she can ride out her release on Emma’s face.

 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

She has no idea what time it was when she is woken by the sound of sniffling at the side of her bed. Her eyes shoot open to see Henry standing in front of her as he wipes at his eyes with the sleeves of his pyjama top. “My little prince, what’s the matter?” His mother asks him, raising the cover so he can climb in besides her. 

 

“I had a bad dream,” he sobs between tears, “Emma went away.”

 

She cradles him against her body. Thankful that she and Emma had both redressed after their nocturnal activities, as per usual. “It’s okay, my darling. Emma is here and she isn’t going away.”

 

The noise and movement disturbs Emma who is spooning Regina. “Baby, why are you awake?” She sleepily asks Regina.

 

“Emma,” Henry says sounding sad, catapulting the Blonde into complete consciousness. 

 

“Henry, what’s the matter?” Deep concern evident in her voice as she sits up and reaches around Regina to pull Henry into her lap. She doesn’t think twice about pulling him from his mother. Her little biddy was upset and she needed to make it right.

 

“You left us,” he says as he starts crying harder.

 

“He had a bad dream,” Regina clarifies. She can’t clearly see Emma’s face in the dark but if her voice was any indication to go off, her girlfriend was panicked. “It’s probably because of all the sugar he had.” She was used to dealing with it when her son had bad dreams but Emma wasn’t.

 

“I will never ever leave you. I promised you that.” She brushes his tears away with her thumbs. “Besides, who will I play cars with if I don’t have you?” Then she whispers in his ear, “your mom isn’t very good at it.” 

 

He giggles at that and nods his head. “She doesn’t make very good cars noises, not like us.”

 

“Are you two ganging up on me again?” Regina interrupts with a fake pout, not that either of them could see it.

 

Emma was relieved to hear him giggle and not feel any fresh tears roll down his cheeks.

 

“I stay here?” He innocently asks.

 

Emma moves over, making space for him between her and Regina. “Come here, buddy.”

 

He lies down between them and snuggles into Emma. It would usually be his mother that he seeks comfort from but because of his dream he needed it to be Emma. Regina could sense this and she was happy for Emma to be the one to comfort him, grateful for their bond.

 

Emma strokes his cheek until he falls to sleep whilst Regina hums a lullaby.

 

“Please stop overthinking this. He’s okay and it’s quite normal for children to have nightmares,” Regina quietly tries to soothe her girlfriend who she knows is internally blaming herself. 

 

“I know,” Emma answers, trying to keep the emotion from her voice. She did know, from all her years in different foster homes she knew how often nightmares could occur but that was because the children she was around were like herself, troubled and scared, she didn’t want that for Henry.

 

“Then why are you so upset?” Regina reaches over and strokes her hip. She could read Emma like an open book, even in the dark.

 

“This isn’t the first time he’s cried because of me,” she sombrely replies.

 

“And it won’t be the last. I’ll make him cry at some point too, just like I have in the past. He’s four. It doesn’t take much to make him or any other child of his age cry. It’s harder to constantly keep him as happy as he is, as happy as he has been since you came into our lives. He has always been a cheerful boy but I see a difference in him now… and a different in me. We are both so much happier with you in our lives and I hope you are happier now that we are in yours.”

 

“Happier than I have ever been.”

 

“So if we are all happier, how about a smile, my darling.”

 

“Okay.” Emma says a bit more cheerfully.

 

Regina can hear the smile in her voice and gives her an appreciative squeeze on to her hip. “That’s better. I want my two loves to always be happy and I want you to stop blaming yourself every time Henry gets upset. It was just a silly nightmare brought on by too much excitement and sugar.”

 

Emma takes the hand that is stroking her hip and brings it to her lips, kissing her palm. “Okay, beautiful. We should get some sleep now, we have a long weekend of dealing with Ruby ahead of us.”

 

They fall asleep with Regina’s hand around Emma’s neck and Henry peacefully slumbering between them. She knows that logically Regina is right but she has always been driven by her heart and Henry was a big part of her heart, just like Regina is.


	25. Moving day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for the last chapter as I had forgotten to mark off the sections that had sexual content. I know that not everyone likes to read the smut. This chapter doesn't have any though.

“That was one hell of a drive. How did you manage it every weekend, Swan?” Ruby asks when she enters the mansion, stretching out her back from the hours of sitting down. It was almost two and Ruby had left Boston much earlier this morning than she was used to getting up on her day off.

“Hey, Rubes. I really appreciate you coming all this way.” Emma hugs her friend and shuts the door behind them.

“No worries. From what I’ve seen of this town as I drove through it looks pretty nice. I can’t wait to explore it a bit more later on. Are we still on for going out tonight?”

“Yeah, we are going to drop Henry off with his grandma at six and then we’ll head out.”

“Awesome. Where’s the missus and the kiddo, anyway?” She asks because she can’t see or hear them.

“They are in the back garden. Come on, let’s go and say hello before we unload the van.” She leads Ruby through the house, the brunette takes in her surroundings- awed by the beautiful mansion, to the patio doors that lead out to the back garden.

“Hey guys, look who I found loitering in front of the house,” she throws a friendly wink at her friend.

“Hello, Ruby. It’s nice to see you again.” Regina greets as she walks over from where she is playing bat and ball with Henry, to hug the taller woman.

“And you too.” She replies, hugging Regina in return.

“Ruby!” Henry shouts as he runs up to hug around her legs. He remembers her as one of the fun workers from Emma’s work.

“Hey, little man. How are you doing?” She asks as she squats so she’s closer to his height.

“I’m playing bat and ball with my mommy and I’m winning.” He was only winning because he was making up his own rules as he went along, rules only he understood. “Do you want to play with me?”

“Maybe later, Buddy, We have to get my stuff from the van. Your bed is in there.” Emma interjects.

“My bed! Mommy, can I help them get it?” He excitedly shouts as he jumps up and down.

Regina looks over to Emma for permission, she didn’t want to risk Henry getting in the way and getting himself hurt. A nod and a smile from the blonde lets her pass on permission to Henry. “Yes, my prince. Just don’t get in their way, okay?”

“I won’t, mommy.” He reaches up for Emma’s hand, “come on, Emma. Let’s go.”

“Have you eaten, Ruby? I can make you some lunch if you’d like, a sandwich perhaps?”

“That’s sounds great. I’m starving.” She beams at the offer of food.

Emma gives Regina what she hopes is a pleading look, her eyes asking for a sandwich as well.

“You’ve already had lunch,” Regina says to Emma as if reading her mind.

“I didn’t say anything,” she feigns innocence as she defends herself.

“You didn’t have to.” Regina says with a smile as she goes on her tiptoes, because she is wearing flats, to kiss Emma’s cheek. Of course she would make her a sandwich as well, Emma had a ferocious appetite but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have a little fun messing with her girlfriend.

“Come On, Henry.” Emma reaches down to grab the little boy and places him on her shoulders, he loves sitting on her shoulders and getting to see the world from that high up.

The three of them set off down the garden path to unload the few boxes from Emma’s car that she still hadn’t brought in from the night before, as well as the stuff in the van Ruby had driven up.

Emma made sure to give Henry lighter things to carry. She opens one of her boxes that is marked ‘clothes’ and for every trip where Ruby would carry a box and she would carry a kayak or some other piece of sports equipment, she would give him individual items of clothing to carry. It took a lot longer than it would have taken if Henry wasn’t there but she made sure to make him feel included and would walk back and forth with him at his own pace.

Ruby watches how Emma is with him, she would never in a million years thought that this was the same person she made the deal with so that her friend could get out of having to teach the children’s sessions only a few months ago.

Regina comes out into the front garden when she has finished in the kitchen. She stands next to Ruby as they both watch Emma storing her stuff in the garage as she patiently answers all of Henry’s questions about the different pieces of equipment. He knows what some of the items are, like the paddleboard, kayak, canoe, mountain bike and camping equipment but he hadn’t seen her rock climbing gear or her snowboard before.

“What are those?” He points to the snowboard and surfboard.

“This,” she taps the surfboard, “is for surfing. You go into the sea with it and stand up on it to ride the waves. And this,” she taps the snowboard, “is basically the same thing but you ride it down snowy mountains.”

“Wow. Can I do those things with you?” He eyes go big at the thought of doing these activities with Emma.

“Of course, buddy, when you are a little bit older.” She picks him up and holds him against her hip.

“I’m five soon,” he holds up one hand to for emphasis, “we go then?”

“As long as your mom says it’s okay.”

Regina wasn’t sure about letting her little boy partake it what she considered to be dangerous activities, she trusted Emma implicitly but accidents happen. “I’ll think about it,” she calls from where she and Ruby are watching them.

Henry and Emma both turn around, seeing Regina and Ruby for the first time. “That means I can,” he says to Emma, making all the women laugh. “We finished now, mommy,” Henry shouts back from the garage. They all walk back into the house, Henry still in Emma’s arms.

“Is this everything?” Regina asks when all she sees is a few boxes, a pile of clothes and Henry’s dismantled bed in her foyer.

“All my sports gear is in the garage so yep, this is everything,” Emma answers as she wipes her slightly sweaty forehead with the back of her wrist. It was the middle of Summer and she had carried all the heavier items on her own, leaving a slight sheen of sweat over all the skin that was on view.

Henry looks at Emma and copies her when she wipes her forehead, eliciting smiles from both Ruby and Regina. 

“Well, you all seem to have worked up a thirst,” she clears her throat as she spies her girlfriends glistening arms, “I’ve made a pitcher of ice tea in the kitchen.” Emma puts his down so he can go get some.

“Awesome,” Ruby exclaims as she and Henry make their way to the kitchen. 

Regina blocks Emma’s way when the blonde tries to follow them through to the kitchen. “What are the chances Ruby will take Henry out for a couple of hours so I can take you to bed?” She jokes as she wraps her arms around the blondes neck.

“We could try and sneak away,” Emma jokes back.

“Mommy, can I have one of these sandwiches?” Henry shouts from the kitchen.

“I guess sneaking away is out of the question then,” Emma surmises after the interruption.

Regina sighs before shouting back to Henry, she normally didn’t allow him to shout and she definitely never shouted back but she didn’t want to part from Emma, “the sandwiches are for Ruby and Emma, you’ve already had lunch.”

“You made me a sandwich after all? Woohoo!” The blonde cheers before escaping Regina’s arms and walking around her to the kitchen, leaving her bemused girlfriend to follow her.

“Can I have a cookie, then?” He asks sadly when she enters the kitchen.

Emma’s eyes go wide. She didn’t want a repeat of last night so she takes half of her sandwich and pushes the plate with the other half towards him, earning a shake of her head from Regina. She would rather face Regina’s wrath for giving him half a sandwich after he had already had lunch than face seeing him have another nightmare.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

“Are you ready, buddy?” Emma asks Henry when he appears with his overnight backpack strapped to his back.

“Do I have to go? I want to stay with you,” he sighs sadly. He always loved going to his Grandma’s but Emma had just moved in with them and they had a visitor, so he just wanted to stay with them.

“It’s only for tonight. I’ll pick you up first thing in the morning and we’ll go to the park and then get some breakfast, okay?” She didn’t really want to go out. She would have preferred to stay in with him and Regina but Ruby had done her a huge favour by bringing all her belongings all the way from Boston and the least she could do was take her out for a few drinks. 

“Okay,” he reluctantly agrees.

“Have you got everything?” Regina had packed his bag so she knew he would have everything he needed but she wanted to make sure he had his toys as well. She worried about him more than Regina did.

“Yep. I got Lightning McQueen and Mater,” he holds up each car, happiness now on his face because of his toys.

“Good Boy. Let’s go say goodbye to your mom.”

After a kiss and a hug from his mom Emma drives him to his Grandma’s. She had gotten ready way before Regina and Ruby were even half-way done so she took him so they could finish getting ready.

Once Emma frees him from his car seat he runs down his grandma’s garden path and barges into the house as he calls out for her. Emma knocks on the open door and waits for Cora to invite her in.

“Emma, don’t stand on ceremony, come in,” Cora kindly greets her.

“Thank you, Ms Mills,” Emma acknowledges as she steps inside and closes the door behind her.

“There’s no need to be so formal, Emma. Call me Cora. We are practically family.”

Emma blushes, she wasn’t used to having anyone that would call her family and be so open and welcoming to her. “Sorry Ms… urm Cora.”

“That’s quite alright. Would you like a drink? I suspect my daughter is still getting ready for your night out? She has always taken a long time to get ready,” she muses.

“Yeah, but I don’t know why she takes so long. She wakes up looking perfect,” Emma replies with a dreamy smile on her face.

Cora gives her a knowing look and Emma clears her throat when she realises what she just said in front of her girlfriends mother. “A water would be nice, thank you,” she finally answers.

She stays with Henry and plays with his cars with him for a little bit until he asks his Grandma if he can watch a movie. Emma used that as a good time to take her leave.

“Get your pyjamas on and then we’ll watch whatever you like, sweetheart,” Cora answers him.

She walks Emma to the door. “I hope you have an enjoyable night.”

“Thank you. I’ll be around first thing in the morning to pick him up. I’ve promised to take him for breakfast.”

“Don’t rush. I have no plans for tomorrow so he can stay with me for as long as you need.”

Emma nods her head but doesn’t say anything. She knows she will make sure she is up early to get Henry. She was looking forward to taking him for breakfast and going to the park with him just as much as he was.

When she gets back to the mansion both Ruby and Regina are ready and are sharing a bottle of wine in the lounge, she can hear them laughing all the way from the front door.

“As much as I love hearing you laugh, why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like the reason you are laughing?” Emma asks as she leans against the doorframe of the lounge. This just makes Ruby laugh harder.

“Ruby was just telling me about the time you…”

“Oh god. Just stop there. If it hascome from Ruby it can’t be good.” The woman in question gives her a sly grin.

“It’s only fair I have someone on my side seen as you and Henry always gang up on me,” Regina teases.

“I’m glad you’re leaving tomorrow,” Emma smirks at her friend and shoves her when she moves passed her to sit next to Regina on the couch.

“You’ll miss me. Who else are you going to get up to drunken shenanigans with?” Ruby throws back.

Regina had never really seen Emma around any of her friends before and it was nice to see this side of her. She was different somehow and it was a joy to see but it also hurt her a little, to see first-hand just what Emma was giving up by moving in with them.

“I will miss you but I will not miss our drunken shenanigans. I’m a grown up now,” she says with fake smugness.

“Debateable,” Regina jokes, making Ruby laugh and Emma pout. “I’m not serious, darling,” she cups Emma’s chin and strokes her cheek with her thumb when the pout doesn’t leave her face. “Will a kiss make it better?” Emma smiles and nods and when Regina kisses her she hears a scoff from Ruby.

“Am I going to need to bring a water bottle with me so I can spray you two when you start humping?”

“Jealousy isn’t a good look for you,” Emma retorts, “not that I blame you. Who wouldn’t be jealous of my beautiful girlfriend.” She says as she tucks a lock of Regina’s hair behind her ear.

“What have you done to her, Regina? She’s changed… she’s all gross.” Ruby says with a look on her face like she can smell something bad.

Emma flips her the bird. “Come on, let’s go out. I’m going to need alcohol and lot of it if I’m going to have to put up with you all night.” She stands up and holds a hand out for Regina who she helps up from the couch. Ruby holds her hand out and Emma takes it, pulling her up but when she’s halfway up she lets go of her hand, causing her to fall back onto the couch.

“Asshole,” Ruby berates as she gets up by herself.

“And I thought I was going to have a child free night,” Regina mumbles as she picks up her purse from a side table.

Fifteen minutes later they are entering the Rabbit Hole, Emma holding the door open so they can both enter. Regina leads the way to a booth at the back of the bar. It was still quite early so it wasn’t heaving just, yet but as the night wears on she knows it will get busier and louder, the booth at the back was ideal if they wanted to be able to converse.

Emma goes to the bar to get their drinks, declining Regina’s offer to pay because she had promised Ruby a night of free drinks for hauling her belongings from Boston, so she would be paying for them- as promised, as the two brunettes settle into the booth.

“I’ve never known her to be this happy, you know?” Ruby says in all seriousness when they are alone.

Regina smiles, “really? I feel like I might have rushed her into all of this. It has all happened so quickly.”

“No one rushes Emma into anything. Trust me with that. She wants this. Actually, I’ve never known her to want something so much. Emma has only ever known betrayal and abandonment and it had left her with commitment issues but those just seemed to vanish when she met you. If she wasn’t sure about this she wouldn’t have agreed to move in with you.” She reaches over the table to take Regina’s hands, “I hate that I’m not going to see her every day but I know she is truly happy with you and Henry.”

“Thank you, Ruby. That certainly helps with some of the concerns I was having.”

“Are you having second doubts?” She pulls her hands back, “If you mess my friend around…”

“No, no. I’m not messing her about and I’m not having second doubts. This is what I want. It’s just a lot to ask, she’s not just accepting me, she’s accepting Henry. We are a package deal.”

“You asked her to move in with you and she accepted. Have some faith in her. Besides, I’m not taking her back. She’s your problem now,” she says with a wink.

“I’m guess I’m stuck with her then.” Regina shrugs and smiles.

“Just make sure she always knows she is wanted.” Ruby turns serious for just a moment.

“I will.” Regina sincerely promises. She never usually answered to anyone but this was Emma’s friend, someone the blonde cared about dearly so she was willing to concede her usual power.

“Here you go, ladies,” Emma says as she places their drinks down, “I mean lady and a Ruby.”

“Do you see how horrible she is to me?” Ruby feigns indignation.

“You’ve put up with a lot worse for a free drink before. Remember what I caught you doing in that club with those biker chicks that kept buying you shots?”

“No, I don’t. I guess the shots did their job and wiped my mind clean. And I do not need reminding,” she says when Emma is about to open her mouth.

“I’ll tell you later,” Emma whispers to Regina when Ruby gets distracted by someone over at the pool table.

“I’ll be right back,” the lanky brunette says as she slips out of the booth. They both follow her with their eyes and share a knowing smile when they see who has caught her eye. 

“Is that the librarian?” Emma queries. She thinks she has seen her before when she’s taken Henry to the library to pick out some books.

“Yes, that’s Belle,” Regina confirms. They both continue to watch as Ruby sweet talks her way into a game of pool with the librarian and somehow gets the two short guys that are with her to make themselves scarce.

“I guess we are on our own then,” Emma whispers into Regina’s ear as she takes the lobe between her teeth and gives it a gentle suck.

“Miss Swan,” she says in her Mayoral voice that she knows the blonde loves, “may I remind you that I am the Mayor of this town? I cannot be seen to be making out in a bar, not matter how enticing you are.”

Emma shudders at the deep and authorative voice. “Jesus,” she whispers as she squirms in her seat, wetness making itself known between her legs as her core throbs with want.

Regina leans in closer to her, even though there isn’t anyone in earshot, she didn’t want to chance being overheard, “you had your chance to have me on my knees, bound in front of you last week. I was completely at your mercy. That won’t be happening again,” she places her hand on Emma’s muscular thigh, “I am the Mayor and I am always in charge,” her hand slips further up her thigh, hidden from view by the table, “so for the rest of the night you will be obey my every word, heed my every wish.”

“Shit, Regina. What are you doing?” Emma whimpers when Regina’s hand reaches her centre.

Ruby’s words from earlier were still rolling around in her head, Emma needed to feel wanted. She knew Emma enjoyed being dominant, it gave her the control she craved but had never had in any way in her life, so Regina decided to offer her something else, the chance to be controlled and to make to feel needed. Sometimes words alone were not enough and actions are louder than words after all, so she would prove just how much she wants Emma. “Making sure you know you are mine.”

Emma smiles at her. “I’m always yours, Madame Mayor. Just say the words and I will bow down on my knees,” she smirks, “anytime you would like me to.”

Regina has to stop herself growling at being stared at so reverently. 

“Oi, you two. Come and have a game of doubles with us,” Ruby shouts across the bar. “And bring drinks with you,” she says as she holds up her empty glass as proof she needs another.

“Maybe if we are lucky, or more to the point- if Ruby is lucky, she might go home with Belle and we can have the house to ourselves tonight. I do so enjoy hearing you in the throes of passion,” Regina whispers before getting up and walking over to join the two women at the pool table.

Emma has to swallow hard and takes a moment to calm her excitement before she can get up and get them all a drink. She has no idea what Belle is drinking so she gets her a chardonnay, the same as what the other two are drinking, and another beer for herself. By the time she has been served the other women have set up the balls and are talking amongst themselves as they wait for her.

“Hello, Belle, I didn’t know what you were drinking so I hope this is okay?” She passes her the glass of wine.

“That’s perfect, thank you.” Belle meekly replies.

Both Emma and Ruby were quite handy with a pool cue because of the amount of time they had both spent in bars over the years. Surprisingly, Regina was actually better than both of them.

“Where did you learn to play like this?” Emma asks in complete bewilderment when Regina pots the last two of their reds, followed by the black.

“It’s too early in our relationship for me to reveal all of my secrets,” Regina winks. 

Ruby used Belle’s lack of skill at the pool table to take the opportunity to stand closely behind her and help her with her aim to pot their remaining yellow balls that are still on the table.

“That’s the oldest trick in the book,” Regina whispers to Emma, who nods her head in agreement.

“Hey, hang on, does that mean you’ve done that?” Emma asks, unable to hide the jealousy in her voice.

Regina gives her a sly smile and hands her empty glass to her, “I need a refill, darling.”

Emma dutifully goes to get another round, sulking slightly because of what Regina had just told her. She had a past of her own but thinking of Regina with anyone else was pure torture. She only knew of Mal but obviously there was more women than she was aware of. 

She’s broken from her negative thoughts when hands wrap around her waist from behind. “I could see the black cloud hanging over you from all the way over there.” Emma turns around in her arms as her order is being dealt with. “I was only joking just now, sweetheart.”

“Were you?” She looks down, avoiding eye contact with her lover, she knows she is being petty but she couldn’t shake it off.

“Yes. Apart from Mal you are the only person I have ever been intimate with.”

“I know it’s silly but I just didn’t like the thought,” she solemnly replies as she suddenly takes a great interest in her own hands.

Regina takes her hands. “Is it silly that I like that you didn’t like that thought?”

“Yeah, totally dumb,” Emma jokes, finally looking at her. “So, how did you learn to play?”

“I did go to university you know. I spent some time in bars just like this one. It just so happens that I turned out to be pretty good at it.”

“Well, you are pretty good with your hands,” Emma gives her a sly smile.

“Wait until I get you home, I will show you just how good I am with them. Now give me a kiss.”

Emma looks around, the bar had filled up over the last few hours and she was unsure if it was such a good idea so she gives her a quick peck on the lips.

Regina grabs her by the collar of her shirt, “I said kiss me, Miss Swan.”

Emma couldn’t refuse her authorative Mayoral voice so she does as she has been commanded and kisses her like there is no one else in the room. Ruby starts clapping and making a scene when she catches them making out in the middle of the bar but it doesn’t hinder either of them as they taste each other.

When they did finally break apart Ruby high-fives Emma when she walks past them. “What? It’s a tradition,” Emma innocently informs her girlfriend who is trying to glare at her and not smile at the same time.

The four of them spend the rest of the night drinking and chatting and unfortunately for Ruby she ends up going home with Regina and Emma, instead of Belle. She does manage to get the seemingly shy woman to agree to a lunch date with her for the following day before she has to make her way back to Boston. Just another reason for her to keep visiting Storybrooke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think there will only be about 2-3 more chapters of this story.


	26. Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have never struggled with writers block until this chapter :s

“Where are you going?” Regina sleepily asks her girlfriend, who was putting on her slippers that the brunette insists she wears around the house, as she tries to sneak out of their bedroom.

“I’m going to wrap up Henry’s bedroom door and blow up the balloons,” she whispers nonchalantly.

“Okay,” Regina mumbles as her eyes close momentarily before flying open again, “what?”

“I’m going to tape birthday wrapping paper over Henry’s door so when he wakes up he has to burst through it and the hallway will be filled with balloons. It’s the perfect way for him to start his birthday.”

Emma hadn’t previously told her that she was going to do either of those things. Regina sleepily smiles at how much thought Emma had already put into this day, she had been planning it for weeks. “What’s the time?”

“Almost five,” she creeps over to Regina and squats down in front of her, “sorry for waking you but I was too excited to sleep. Do you want a coffee?”

“No, I want some sleep,” she teases as Emma strokes her cheek.

“I’ll be quiet, you get some more sleep,” Emma kisses her cheek and sneaks out of the room to set things up for Henry. 

Forty five minutes later Emma is sitting in the hallway surrounded by dozens of balloons, opposite Henry’s doorway that has wrapping paper taped over the frame. Her phone is in hand, ready to record the little boys reaction. She doesn’t have to sit there for long before she hears little feet excitedly hit the floor as he climbs out of bed. She quickly starts recording with her phone just in time to capture the sound of him gasping when he opens his bedroom door.

“Wow,” he beams at the colourful paper covering his doorway.

“Happy birthday, buddy!” Emma shouts from the other side.

“How do I get out of here?” He giggles as he asks his question.

“You have to run right through it like a Superhero,” she encourages him.

“Okay!” Seconds later he is bursting through the paper only to find himself knee-deep in balloons and a camera focussing on him. “I’m five today,” he says to the camera, holding up all the digits on his right hand before he flings himself into Emma.

“Yes, you are. You are such a big boy now.” She puts her phone down and holds him in her lap. It was still amazing to her that she had only been part of this family for a few months and how much her life had changed in that time but she had no regrets, especially as she held the ball of energy in her arms that was Henry. “Shall we go and wake your mom up so that you can open your presents?”

“Presents!” He shouts as if he had forgotten that was an integral part of his birthday. He squirms off her lap and waddles through the balloons, batting them with his hands as he makes his way to his moms bedroom. Emma quickly stands up and catches up with him before throwing him over her shoulder in a fireman’s lift. “We have to be quiet so we can surprise attack your mom.” Sure they want to wake Regina up but that doesn’t mean they can’t do it with the same amount of grace as a baby elephant barging into her room. She slowly opens the door, a few balloons spill into the room with them. She just catches the movement of the duvet being pulled over Regina’s head as she pretends to hide from them and their ‘surprise’ attack.

She places Henry on the bottom of the bed and signals for him to attack from the opposite side, knowing that Regina was facing his direction and he would be the one getting the surprise attack. Even if Regina hadn’t been awake Henry’s gigging as he not so gracefully wiggles up the bed would have certainly woken her up. He’s about to peel back the cover when Regina throws it back and pulls him under in a bigger fit of giggles.

“Happy birthday my little prince,” she kisses the top of his head when the giggling subsides.

“I’m not little no more, mommy. I’m big now.”

"Yes, you are. You're my big boy now," she says as she holds him against herself, trying to not get too emotional over the fact he is growing up way too quickly for her liking. It felt like only yesterday he was a new-born in her arms.

Emma sits on the side of the bed and is thankful that she is part of this family as she watches the sweet moment between mother and son.

“Now we open presents? He excitedly asks as he wiggles out of his mother’s arms, unaware of the emotions she was trying to hold at bay.

“I knew I forgot something! I forgot to get you presents!” Regina teases him, a big smile on her face to reassure him that it was just a joke.

“Silly mommy!” Henry giggles as he scampers off the bed and heads to the door.

Regina gets out of bed and Emma hands her her robe, which she loosely tied around her waist. They battled their way through the field of balloons in the hallway, Henry continuously giggles as he kicks and swats at them, causing them to bounce and float around him. He leads the way down the stairs, finding it even more difficult than usual to not run down them in his excitement to get to his presents.

 

"Where are they?" He excitedly asks as he turns around at the bottom of the stairs and stares up at the two women, his eyes full of anticipation.

 

"In the lounge, darling." Regina replies with a smile.

 

He scampers to the lounge and his little hand reaches for the door knob, which he takes a few attempts to twist open because of the lack of coordination of an excited five year old. "Presents!" He shouts as he runs over to the brightly wrapped boxes that are arranged next to the sofa. He falls to his knees and looks back at the two women for permission to start unwrapping the gifts.

 

"Which one do you want to open first?" Regina asks, already knowing the answer; he would want to open the biggest one first. They had gone half on all presents at Emma's insistence. Regina had tried to argue against it because she knew Emma's small amount of savings were all but gone because the job she had promised her wouldn't be starting for another week, and seen as she wasn't paying any bills the blonde had insisted on buying all of their groceries. Eventually Emma had persuaded Regina that if her name was to be on any of the gifts, which Regina had told her it would be, then she should pay half.

 

"This big one!" He says with glee as he slaps the box that is almost as tall as he is.

This is the one Emma was nervous about. It had been her idea and even though Regina thought it was a great idea, she was worried about her little man not being impressed by the gift she had researched and chosen for him. “Do you need some help unwrapping it?” She asks because even though they had used minimal cello tape when wrapping it, to make it easier for him, it was still huge.

“Nooooo,” he whinges before he starts ripping into the paper. Emma may be his best friend but he was now a big boy at five years old and these are his presents to open.

Emma smiles at Regina, she had completely expected that answer. She sits down next to the brunette, who has taken up residence on the couch, and throws her arm around her shoulder. Regina snuggles against her shoulder as they watch the little boy tear at the wrapping paper. 

When most of the paper has been ripped off and is scattered on the ground around him, he looks from the box and over to the two women. They both had to supress their laughter at the look on his face. “It’s a car!” He squeals as he jumps up and down.

Regina gently squeezes Emma’s thigh and Emma kisses the top of her head, they were both feeling quite smug at the reaction their present had pulled from Henry. When Henry starts clawing at the edges of the box to open it Emma gives Regina a quick peck on the cheek before she gets up to help him with it. She peels back the start of a couple pieces of the box tape and lets Henry pull at them until the flaps at the top can be opened. Emma pulls out the protective pieces of polystyrene before reaching back in and pulling out the bright yellow, battery powered, ride on jeep. 

Regina watches, her eyes darkening as the muscles in her lovers arms tense and bulge with the effort of lifting the hefty toy. What excited her even more, and made her heart beat faster, was the happy look on Emma’s face that matched that of her sons. She had never considered herself to be a particularly lucky person but she knew she had hit the jackpot with this woman.

Henry was clapping and jumping with excitement as Emma set the mini automobile down on the carpet. “It’s yellow! Just like your car Emma.” He was now an expert at pronouncing that word correctly. Regina had had to pretend to put up a fight over the colour when they were choosing it but she knew she was going to give into Emma’s colour choice. It would make both of her loves happy but she had to pretend she was against the garish colour, just for her prides sake. “Can I ride it?”

“Not just yet, buddy. We need to charge it up first.” She had tried to persuade Regina to let her take the jeep out of the box the night before she should could charge it up and put it back so it would be ready for him the next morning but the brunette had counterargued that he had plenty of other gifts he could play with and that it was important for him to learn patience. Emma looks over at Regina nervously but Regina says nothing and lets Emma continue with her interaction with Henry. She knows how much the blonde worries about disappointing the little boy because of all the disappointments Emma herself had suffered through as a little girl but she also knew her son and she knew there was no reason for Emma to worry. 

“I’ll charge it up now. Do you want to sit in it and open your other presents?” The blonde offers, hoping there wouldn’t be a tantrum. 

“Okay,” he easily agrees with a happy nod of his head. 

Emma smiles at Regina, proud that she handled the situation so smoothly. Regina smiles back at her but her eyes say ‘I told you so.’

Henry clambers into the seat of the bright yellow jeep and grabs onto the steering wheel, pretending to make car noises as Emma hooks it up to the power supply.

It had only ever been Regina and Henry together on birthday mornings but this was a very welcome change. She liked that she was able to sit back and just observe her sons happiness as Emma took care of him. The blonde sat on the floor, cross legged, between the mini jeep and the rest of the presents so she could pass them over to him. Regina enjoyed observing but she wanted to be part of it as well so she gets up and sits opposite to Emma, on Henry’s other side.

They take turns passing him the rest of his presents, Regina had told Emma when they were buying them that he would never be getting this spoilt again. Regina only allowed it because she knew how much it meant to Emma. After an adventure kit, a set of walkie talkies, and a pile of educational books (at Regina’s insistence) had all been unwrapped, Henry got out of the mini jeep to thank both of the women properly with a kiss and a hug. Regina didn’t know if it was because of his age, the gifts, or having Emma there, but she had never seen him so happy on his birthday before. 

“There is one more present in the garden,” Regina informs her son. This one had almost pushed her over the edge. It was a last minute gift that Emma had suggested. Regina had outright refused at first, saying that he already had more gifts that he would usually have but Emma had swayed her with her argument about how it would keep Henry active, or maybe it was her smile and dimples that swayed her. She wasn’t sure what it was but she relented and Emma had set it up in their backyard after Henry had gone to sleep the night before. 

“Another present?” Even Henry couldn’t believe his luck. 

“Yep. Just one more,” Emma answers. “But you have to close your eyes.”

“Okay,” He immediately shuts them and Emma stands up, throwing him over her shoulder again and making him giggle. 

“No peeking back there,” she says as she holds out a hand to help pull Regina up from the couch. She keeps hold of the brunettes hand as they walk to the kitchen, which overlooks the backyard. Regina unlocks the backdoor and after double checking that Henry’s eyes are still closed she gives Emma a nod and the blonde walks outside along the stone path that meanders across the well-kept lawn, and moves him so that he is sitting against her hip. 

“Okay, open them,” she instructs, hoping for the best. Kids loved trampolines, right?

“No way!” He exclaims. His little legs wiggle, his way of pleading to be let down so he could play with his new gift. She puts him down and his runs to the steps at the side of the netted trampoline and climbs up them before scrambling through the unzipped slit in the side netting. 

Regina is watching them from the kitchen window as she starts preparing breakfast. Henry is jumping up and down on the trampoline and laughing as he does so. He was exuding happiness. That finally allowed her to be able to let go of the guilt she had been feeling for splurging on all the gifts.

“Come on here with me, Emma!” He shouts as he bounces around.

“Okay, but get ready for a jumping war!” She warns as she joins him, zipping the net up behind herself so Henry wouldn’t accidentally fall out. She takes his hands and they both start jumping together. Emma keeps her jumps really small so that Henry would win their jumping war and it also meant she had more control to keep him safe, forever the worrier she is when it comes to her little guy.

Regina stops in the middle of cutting up some fresh strawberries as her full attention once again falls to her two loves. She knew she was rushing things when she asked Emma to move in but she was just so glad that she had trusted herself. Her life was perfect. She wipes her hand on a towel and tightens her robe belt around her waist and makes her way outside to join them on the trampoline. Breakfast can wait, fun with her family can’t.

Emma stops jumping to open the zip for Regina. “Is Madame Mayor going to join us in the jumping war?” She offers the brunette a hand and helps to stabilise her as she stands up. 

“Regina Mills is joining her family for some birthday fun on this contraption,” she talks about herself in the third person, making Emma smile.

They spend a little more time on the trampoline in the warming morning sun until tummies start rumbling and Regina sends them in to get dressed as she finishes preparing their breakfast.

 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After a healthy breakfast (Henry’s party was later in the afternoon and he would be having all sorts of sugary treats then so Regina made sure his breakfast was nutritious), Emma takes Henry for a walk. Well, she walks and Henry rides in his bright yellow mini jeep. Regina stays at home so she can shower before she has to begin preparing for the party.

The walk is going well, the mini jeep has a top speed of three miles per hours so Emma can easily keep up with him as she walks beside him on the sidewalk. Every time a pedestrian approaches Henry eagerly uses the horn on the jeep to warn them of his presence. Then he loudly informs them that the jeep is his birthday present. He gets a smile and a ‘happy birthday’ each time. 

A few hours later, after criss-crossing most of the city in the mini jeep and stopping for some fun in the playground, they make their way back home. Henry was waning and Emma wanted to get him down for a nap or he would never survive his own party.

“Hey beautiful,” Emma shouts when they return home.

“Hi, Mommy,” Henry shouts at the same time.

Regina was stressed out in the kitchen as she tries to make sure everything is perfect for the party, but all that stress dissipates as soon as she hears the two voices calling out for her. 

“Did you have fun?” She asks them both as she walks through to the foyer to meet them as they are stripping off their jackets and shoes.

“I beeped my horn and then we went to the playground and then I beeped my horn some more!” Henry enthusiastically tells her as he sits on his bum to pull his shoes off, his eyes drooping just a little.

“And we fed the ducks, didn’t we?” Emma adds.

“Yes, but we didn’t have any bread so this old lady gave me her some of her bread so I could feed them.”

“That sounds wonderful and very tiring. I think you should have a nap before your big party.” Emma had text her a little earlier to say that his energy was fading and they would probably be able to get him down for his nap earlier than usual. 

“I’m not tired, mommy,” he argues as he sleepily rubs his eyes.

Emma squats down in front of him. “You’re a big boy now so it’s up to you. You can stay awake and be tired for your party or you take a little nap and be wide awake when all your friends come over and play on your trampoline.” This could very well backfire on her but he wasn’t usually difficult about taking his naps when he was tired.

“Urm… just a little nap,” he concedes, “Will you read me a story?”

“Sure thing, buddy. Let’s go pick out a story.” She lifts him up and holds him against her side. She turns to Regina so she can give him a kiss and then they are off up the stairs. She dreaded the time he would be old enough to see through her reverse psychology strategies. She would have no power then.

"He's out for the count," Emma informs her lover when she enters the kitchen not too much later. She walks up behind the brunette and slips her hands onto her hips as her front presses against the smaller woman's back. "The party isn't due to start for well over another hour, can you spare me twenty minutes?" She seductively whispers in her ear before nibbling on her lobe as her hands slip lower to the hem of the navy blue satin dress. 

"Sweetheart, we don't have time," Regina whinges because she really wishes she did have the time. Last night they had collapsed into bed later than usual because Emma had been busy setting up the trampoline and Regina had been wrapping up the presents and baking some goodies for the party. 

"But I miss you," Emma whinges back as she starts pulling the hem of the dress further up her thighs, her lips planting small kisses down a tanned neck that Regina tilts to give the blonde better access. "We need to help each other relax before the minions of Satan descend upon us."

“I thought you liked children?” Regina queries as she turns her face to look at Emma in concern.

“I do, but let’s be honest, none of them are as cool as Henry,2 she sincerely replies in a jokey manner.

She fell for Emma even more each and every time the blonde gushed over Henry. “You have fifteen minutes before I have to finish up the final preparations for the party. Make them count, Miss Swan,” she husks as she turns fully in her lovers arms.

“Only fifteen, huh? Then there’s no time to waste by going upstairs,” she replies with a glint in her eyes as she lifts Regina onto the countertop in one smooth motion before claiming her lips.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As it turns out, time kind of got away from them and fifteen minutes turned into forty. It was only when the doorbell rang for the second time that Regina managed to pull away from Emma and her irresistible lips.

“Shit! That must be the cake. Get dressed.” Regina instructs before she hastily throws her dress back on, sans underwear, and runs her fingers through her hair as she rushes to answer the door.

Emma wants to stay on the floor and bask in he afterglow of their lovemaking but of course she does as instructed and slips on her jeans and tank top. She throws her hair back into a ponytail, (Regina loved to pull on her hair so it usually ended up messy and unkept after sex) and grabs a bottle of disinfectant and some paper towels so she can start disinfecting the countertops. It really needed doing after what they had just done on them.

“It’s here,” Regina declares in relief as she carries a large white box into the kitchen. The local bakery had always been reliable but Regina found it hard to relax until everything was in place. 

“Oooh… let me see,” Emma requests as Regina places the box on a freshly disinfected countertop. She peels back the lid and they both gasp in awe at the large cake within. It was a perfect replica of Lightning McQueen in cake form and it was more than big enough to feed all the expected guests.

“He’s going to love it,” Emma declares, happy with the final product.

“Henry and all the other children are going to be bouncing off the walls with all the E numbers and colourings in it,” Regina replies, always the sensible parent.

“It’s his birthday. He deserves a sugar high. So what else do we have to do to prepare before everyone arrives?”

“We just need to put together the goodie bags and set up the games outside... and maybe get cleaned up a little,” she says with a wink as she wipes her smudged lipstick from the corner of the blondes mouth.

By the time the next knock at the door comes the house is set up for the party and Henry has woken up from his nap and is playing on the trampoline with Emma.

"Hello, ladies. Please come in," Regina greets Ruby and Belle with a warmer smile than her usual politician one. The two women had become close over the Summer and had been taking turns to visit each other on the weekends. On the weekends that Ruby came to Storybrooke, she and Emma would always make time to hang out and sometimes the four of them would get together for dinner. This was meant to be Belle's weekend in Boston but there was no way either of them were going to miss Henry's birthday, particularly after Ruby had received a strongly worded text from Emma about not missing it.

"Hey, Regina. Where are the children?" Ruby asks as she looks over the Mayor’s shoulder and into the home.

"Henry's friends aren't due for a little while yet."

"No... I meant Henry and Emma," Ruby laughs at her own joke and Regina playfully rolls her eyes.

“They are playing in the back garden.”

Belle matches Regina's playful eye-roll before offering the gift she is carrying to the hostess. "Emma said he doesn't have this one," Belle informs the Mayor about the wrapped up book she had specially picked out for him.

"That's very kind of you both. I'm sure he will love it. If you follow me to the kitchen we can get some drinks."

Belle stays with Regina as she gets them all drinks but Ruby heads straight for the garden. “Cool. A trampoline,” she grins as she heads over to Emma and Henry, pulling her shoes off as she goes.

“Hey Ruby,” the both of them greet her in unison as the jump around.

“Happy birthday, Henry,” she congratulates the rosy cheeked boy as she climbs up the steps to the trampoline and ungraciously falls onto the wobbling canvas.

“My mommy and Emma got me this for my birthday,” he gestures around him as he bounces in the air, “and a car like Emma’s and…”

“What do we say when someone says happy birthday to you, Henry?” Emma interrupts him to remind him of his manners. She didn’t want to risk facing the wrath of Regina if she were to let him get away with bad manners in her presence.  
“Oh yeah. Thank you, Ruby,” he enthusiastically acknowledges as he goes to hug her leg when she’s finally gotten to her feet.

“You’re welcome. Now how about you show me how high you can bounce?” She encourages him and throws a mischievous wink at Emma, knowing the blondes nerves would be on edge with the challenge. Just as she suspected, Emma moves behind him and has her hands at the ready in case he was to hurt himself in any way. Ruby laughs and shakes her head at her friend but Emma doesn’t notice as her eyes are trained solely on Henry.

“I have fresh lemonade,” Regina announces as she carries a tray with a pitcher and several glasses on it out to the garden. Belle trails behind her with her own glass of lemonade in hand. Regina sets the tray down on one of the few picnic tables that had been set up for the day and starts pouring her delicious homemade beverage into the glasses. 

“Let’s go get a drink, buddy,” Emma sweetly suggests to Henry.

“But I want to keep bouncing.” It wasn’t quite a moan or an argument, he was just enjoying himself immensely and didn’t want it to stop.

“I know but you have to keep hydrated. I’ve told you how important it is to drink plenty when you’re moving about, yeah?”

“Yeah,” he immediately agrees as he slows down his bouncing; taking his big best friends advice.

“Can I have a beer instead?” Ruby cheekily asks with an innocent smile.

“Top shelf in the fridge,” Regina offers her with a wave of her hand in the direction of the kitchen.

“Awesome. Ems, you want one too?”

“Nah. I’ll stick with the lemonade, thanks.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve turned into one of those boring parents that won’t drink around their kids? My Granny drank scotch around me all the time, never did me any harm,” she insightfully informs them before heading to the kitchen to get herself an adult drink.

Regina’s heart momentarily stops when Ruby refers to Emma as a parent. They hadn’t had that talk. Everything felt right between them and they had spoken about being a family but Emma had never been referred to as Henry’s parent. Everything had happened so quickly between them and she wondered how Emma would feel about Ruby’s flippant comment. She was well aware of the blondes past and her struggle to stay anywhere long enough to really call it home. She hoped that Emma thought of her as home, not the house but her and Henry.

Emma smiles to herself, it was the first time anyone had referred to her as a parent. She looked down at Henry who was obliviously holding a plastic cup that Regina had only half filled with the lemonade so he didn’t spill it all over himself. She felt like a parent to him, sure. She looked after him and played with him and comforted him when he needed it but she had never really thought of herself as his second parent. The more she thought about it the bigger her smile got. She reached out and ruffled his hair a little, causing him to look up at her with his sweet, trusting eyes and a smile as big as hers. 

“I’m a conscientious parent,” Emma shouts after her friend in the kitchen.

Regina was ecstatic at Emma’s reaction. Her girlfriend was hopelessly in love with her and her son. It was more than she ever dreamed of. She catches the blondes eye and finds her to be blushing at her own words that she had just shouted out. 

“You are a wonderful parent,” Regina reassures her lover, who she knows is blushing because she was unsure if her retort to Ruby was a welcome one.

Before any of them had even finished their drinks all of Henry’s friends had arrived, as well as their parents, and the party was in full swing. The biggest attraction for the children was the trampoline of course, with Henry giving them all advice on how to jump, as if it was an artform he had personally cultivated and conquered. Emma didn’t go on it but she stayed close by to+ keep an eye of them all as Regina mingled with the adults. When the children had all but exhausted themselves between the trampoline and the various games that had been set up for them, Regina brought out the food. 

The sugar from the various party foods once again perked up the children, so Emma and Ruby decided to set up an obstacle course made up from various random items they could utilise.

When the heat of the day begins to diminish they decide that it is time for cake, which was accompanied but a very off key rendition of ‘happy birthday’ and the ceremonial blowing out of the candles, but not before Emma reminded Henry to make a wish as he blew them out.

After the cake, Henry was finally allowed to open his presents. Regina hadn’t wanted him to do it any earlier in case he became more interested in what he received than playing with his friends. He remembered his manners without having to be reminded and thanked each of his friends when he was given a gift.

After everyone left, with goodie bags in hand, Henry was allowed to play with his presents as the four women cleaned up. Ruby wants to leave with everyone else but a playful glare from Belle has her immediately agreeing to help clean away the mess the dozen or so children had made. When they finished and the house was once again up to Regina’s standards, Belle finally gave into Ruby, who was desperate to get Belle back to her apartment and naked, and they bid their farewells.

Emma and Regina go to check on Henry who is fast asleep on the sofa with the book Belle had bought him, laying open next to him.

“Let’s get him to bed so I can get you to bed,” Emma whispers as she wiggles her eyebrows. 

Regina was absolutely knackered. An early morning after a late night, followed by a very active day of taking care of a bunch of hyperactive children, as well as her active session with the blonde earlier in the day, had her silently praying for her duvet and pillow. When she watched how Emma gently lifted up her son without waking him and the way she protectively cradled him against her body, she knew that the only thing she would be using her pillow for anytime soon would be to stifle her moans of pleasure.


	27. First day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys... so this is the last chapter :( I may add an epilogue in the future but for now it felt right to end it here.  
> I really hope that you have enjoyed my very first story! It was a year and five days ago that I finally found the courage to post on here and I must say that you guys have been so incredibly supportive and just don't right amazing. I truly want to thank everyone that has left a comment because every last one of them has been motivating and very much appreciated.  
> I never expected that would enjoy writing as much as I have so I will be continuing to write for this amazing fandom. I hope I have done enough with this story that you might give my other stories a try :)  
> I want to thank AbigailSykes for very kindly agreeing to be my Beta and helping me with ideas (I probably should have got one of those before the last chapter :P). Any mistakes in this chapter are mine because I decided to tweak it a little after she had edited it for me :s Sorry!

Regina was in the kitchen happily humming as she prepares a lunch box for each of her two loves. It was the first day of school for Henry tomorrow and it was also Emma's first day of her new job as Fred's assistant, as she begins her teaching qualification. 

 

Henry's 'Cars' lunchbox was miniscule compared to the Emma's, which was basically an insulated tote bag. Given how much Emma eats and because it was her first day, Regina just wanted to make sure she had everything she needed, including a little love note with a naughty promise at the end of it, that she slipped in between Emma's favourite BLT sandwich and a couple of protein bars. 

 

She stopped humming and smiled as she looked up to the ceiling, listening to the laughing that was coming from upstairs as Emma helped Henry with his bath. Since Emma had moved in with them, their home had been filled with laughter and joy. Emma had been the piece of her heart that she didn't know had been missing. 

 

Once she had finished preparing their lunches and had tidied up the kitchen, she makes her way upstairs to hurry things along because Henry should have already been in bed by now. She loved Emma and Henry's bond far too much to be mad that it was already past his bedtime and he was still playing in the bath. She knew her son had Emma wrapped around his little finger, even more so than she did. The blonde was a sucker for the Mills' family. 

 

"So this is what happens when I leave you two without any adult supervision?" Regina asks from where she stands, leaning against the bathroom doorframe with her arms crossed and a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. 

 

"Look mommy, I got a Santa beard," Henry proudly states as he looks over at her, a bubble beard hanging from his chin. 

 

She tries and fails to suppress her laughter when Emma turns to look at her, a Santa beard of her own decorating her chin. 

 

Emma wipes her face and dumps the remains of her bubbles on Henry's head, trying to look innocent and not like a big, guilty kid. 

 

A smirk spreads across Regina's face and she raises an eyebrow as Emma gets up from where she was squatting at the side of the bath. " Hey, beautiful. We were just finishing up here." 

 

Regina could see through her white lie but all the laughter she had been listening to had made her not care. Her home was a happy one and Emma was a big part of that, so she couldn't make herself feel anything but love for her girlfriend. "Is that so, Miss Swan?" Regina could see the pupils in the centre of her lover’s green eyes widen at the use of her surname. 

 

"If I get Henry to bed, can we go to bed too?" She eagerly pleads. 

 

"Shall we get you dried and ready for bed, my little prince? You can pick your favourite story for Emma to read to you." She purposely ignores her lover’s question, just to let the blonde’s mind run wild with desire and want. Emma had become Henry's reader of choice because the voices she read in were even crazier and funnier than the ones his mom had always done. 

 

"Okay," he half-heartedly answers. He knew he had already pushed his luck with Emma, there was no way he would get away with doing that with his mom. 

 

Emma passes Regina a big fluffy towel, which she uses to wrap around Henry once the bath has been drained. She lifts him out and dries him off before Emma helps him get into his pyjamas. After that, he runs off to his room to pick out his favourite story, which was found in the book that was a birthday present from Belle and Ruby. 

 

"I'm going to miss not being able to hang out with him tomorrow," Emma says thoughtfully, as she cleans up the bit of mess they had made in the bathroom. 

 

"I'm sure you will survive a few hours without seeing him." 

 

They had spent nearly all their time together over the last few weeks when Regina worked through the Summer holidays. Cora had had him for the odd sleepover so that Emma and Regina could have some time together, but bar that, Emma had spent every waking moment with him. They had spent their days either playing in the backyard on the trampoline, walking around town (well, Henry would be riding his yellow jeep), or on the odd occasion when the weather wasn't very summery they would stay inside and play games before preparing dinner for Regina's return from work. 

 

"What if I can't do this, Regina?" Emma anxiously asks as she avoids all eye contact with the brunette and wipes down the rim of the bathtub. 

 

Regina's stomach plummets. She had only lived there for a few weeks, what if she had changed her mind about living with them already? "What do you mean?" 

 

"I have never been very good at the school side of things. What if I fail at getting the qualifications? I have never had very good concentration and I'm not very good at sitting still. If I fail, what am I going to do? I can't live off you," she says with a defeated sigh. 

 

Regina takes the used towel out of Emma's hands and drops it into the laundry basket before taking Emma's hands in her own. "Let's go put Henry to bed and then you are coming with me. There's something I want to show you." She had wanted to keep it as a surprise until Emma had finished her very first day at work but now seemed like the perfect time to show her. 

 

Once Henry had fallen asleep and they both kissed him goodnight, Regina beckons her with a finger and Emma follows her downstairs, their hands connecting, as Regina walks with purpose to her home office. "What do you want to show me, Regina?" 

 

"This," Regina smiles as she opens the door to her office, and allows Emma to step in before her. 

 

Emma looks around. Everything was different. It took her a few moments to take it all in and recognise everything that was different with the room. 

 

"Is that... is that for me?" Emma asks with uncertainty. 

 

"Yes, it is," Regina excitedly responds. 

 

"When did you do all of this?" She couldn't hide the astonishment in her voice. 

 

"I had it all delivered this morning when you and Henry went to the park and then to the diner to get the bear claw you think I don't know about." 

 

It had become their secret tradition since Emma had moved in that they would let Regina have a lie-in on Sunday mornings whilst they went to the park and then they would sneak into the diner to share a bear claw before going back home to have a healthy lunch that Regina would have ready for them. 

 

Emma had the decency to blush at being caught out but it only lasted a few seconds as the reality of what Regina had done for her really sank in. 

 

"Do you like it?" 

 

"I love it. I can't believe you did this for me." She really couldn't. All throughout her childhood and the many foster homes she stayed in, no one had even bought her so much as a pencil but Regina had bought her a desk and a brand new laptop as well as a myriad of stationary, and she had made room in her office so they could share the space. 

 

"I know you have trouble concentrating so I thought if we did our work together in here after Henry has gone to bed it would be easier for you." She wraps her arms around her stunned girlfriend from behind and plants a kiss against her cotton covered shoulder. 

 

"I don't think that being in an enclosed space with you is going to do much for my concentration," Emma replies with a grin as she turns around before kissing her lover. "No one has ever..." she can't finish her sentence as her bottom lip quivers and she has to suck in a breath to try to stop herself from crying. 

 

"I did this because I have every faith in you, Emma. You can do this. I know no one has ever shown faith in you before but that doesn't mean you aren't capable. It just means they missed out on what I can very clearly see in you. You are smart and wonderful and as a person you are more than qualified to do this job. I wouldn't let you work in my town if I didn't think so. Every day when you come home and you are one step closer to getting the qualifications you need, I will be sitting right beside you as you work on it and I'll be right here if you need any help from me." 

 

"Thank you for believing in me," Emma whispers against her lips as she cups her face and kisses her lightly. 

 

"Always," she replies sincerely as she rests presses her forehead to Emma's. "Now, why don't we christen your new desk?" She gently bites on Emma's bottom lip and tugs it lightly. 

 

"I see what you are doing Madame Mayor. You want me to associate my desk with happy memories," Emma jokes. 

 

"Surely it's worth a try?" Regina cheekily questions as she pushes Emma back until she is pressed up against the desk. 

 

"I won't argue with you about it," Emma says as she picks Regina up and turns around before placing her on top of the desk. She pushes her legs open so she can stand between them, forcing her pencil skirt to ride up around her thighs. "Why don't we work on making the happy memories on here?" The blonde suggests as her hands glide further up tanned thighs until her fingers wrap around the top of Regina's panties so she can pull them down her tanned and toned legs. She drops the scrap of lace onto the floor and slides her hands back up her soft skin until her fingertips are toying with the curls that surround her most intimate of areas. 

 

"More." Regina almost begs as she pushes her hips forward as if searching for the digits that always bring her immeasurable highs. 

 

She dips the fingers on her right hand past damp curls and between sticky wet lips as she drags her tongue along the column of Regina's neck and kisses along her jawbone. They were certainly about to make some happy memories on her new desk.

 

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"How did you sleep?" Regina mumbles against Emma's bare chest when she stirs awake to the feeling of fingers stroking through her hair.

 

"Not great. I actually had that dream when you're in school and you look down and realise you are naked and everyone is laughing at you."

 

She had flitted in and out of sleep for most of the night. She was happy at the prospect of her new job but it always took her a while to settle into a new place and when she couldn't she would always just move on but she knew she couldn't do that this time. She almost felt trapped. There was no escaping the job, whether she liked it or not. Each time she had woken up during the night she would concentrate on the feeling of Regina in her arms and her warm skin laying against her. It would relax her enough so that she would eventually drift back to sleep, only for her subconscious to concoct something worrisome in her dreams and startle her awake once more. 

 

"Sweetheart," she places a tender kiss to muscular chest she's laying on before shifting so she can look into Emma's eyes, "you are going to be amazing. It's normal to be a little anxious considering all the big changes you have made, but I hope Henry and I are worth it?" She knew the answer Emma would give before she had even asked the question but she was just trying to pull Emma from her worry and redirect her mind to the reason she was doing this in the first place.

 

It has the desired effect. "Of course you guys are worth it. I don't regret moving here, not for a second. I'll be fine once I find my feet," she reassures Regina, which also helps to subconsciously reassure herself. Just saying it out loud helped her to believe it.

 

"I know you will be. Once we put Henry to bed tonight we can go to our desks and you can start your coursework. I'll help you every step of the way."

 

"After what we did on my desk last night there is no way I will be able to sit there and work." Emma's prideful smirk is easily noticeable to Regina.

 

"Oh yes you will, Miss Swan," she tells her in no uncertain terms.

 

"Don't start with the Miss Swan stuff otherwise I'll be late for my first day at work." Emma pushes Regina onto her back and moves on top of her, kissing along her collar bone.

 

"As much as I wish we could continue..." the rest of her words get momentarily caught in her throat when teeth nip at the base of her throat, "my alarm will be going off soon." 

 

Emma looks up at the alarm clock. "We have three minutes. That's plenty of time," she says before resuming her delicious assault on her lovers neck.

 

Before Regina can reply the sound of little feet hitting the floor as Henry scrambles out of his bed was their sign to stop what they were doing. Henry still had over half an hour to sleep before they were to wake him up but he was no doubt excited about his first day back in school. Emma rolls off Regina and moans in disappointment, there was nothing quite like making love to her girlfriend to clear her mind and put a lasting smile on her face, which she could really do with this morning.

 

"Mommy, Emma, I got school today!" Henry shouts in happiness that Regina knew wouldn't last past his first few days back in school. By next week it would be a struggle to get him out of bed in the morning if last year was anything to go by.

 

"Yes, you do my little prince. Are you excited?" Regina asks as she sits up, making sure to hold the cover against her chest, as she turns off her alarm before it has a chance to start ringing.

 

"Yep! I'm going to see Nick and Ava and Paige and Peter and Felix and..."

 

"And Emma," the blonde interrupts as she sits up, securing the blanket around herself. 

 

"You're not in my class," he answers with a giggle at her silly suggestion as she helps pull him onto the bed.

 

"No, but I'm going to be working in the big school so I will come and see at break time." The elementary and high schools in Storybrooke were on the same piece of land but they were separate buildings. Emma would be working in the high school but it would only take her a couple of minutes to go over to Henry's school to see him. 

 

"Really?" His little face lights up at the prospect of his best friend taking time out of her day to see him.

 

"Yep, I can't go a whole day with a Henry hug." She didn't want to crowd him in school or take him away from his friends but she knew she couldn't go all day without popping over to see him when he would be so close by. She wraps one arm around him and pulls him in for a hug to prove her point, her other hand keeping the cover in place.

 

Regina smiles at the two of them. Their bond had only gotten stronger and stronger since Emma had moved in with them. "Why don't you go and get ready and then you can help me make breakfast. We are going to have pancakes," Regina suggests so that she and Emma could get dressed in privacy.

 

"Okay, mommy." He leans over from Emma's lap to give her a kiss before giving Emma one too and scampering off the bed to go and get ready in his room.

 

"Trust him to wake up early today," Emma jokingly grumbles as she squeezes her thighs together when Regina gets out of bed butt naked. "I'm going to go shower."

 

"You showered last night." Regina replies as she sifts through her work suits in her closet.

 

"Yeah, but that one was warm. This time I need a cold one." She awkwardly walks to the en suite to the sound of Regina's laughter.

 

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"Henry, go and get your shoes and coat on, please. It's time for us to go," Regina instructs her son as she takes his empty plate from him and places it in the dishwasher. 

 

"Okay, mommy," he easily agrees as he slips from his chair at the table. "Come on, Emma, we have to get ready for school now," he holds out his hand for Emma so he can lead her through to the foyer to get ready.

 

Emma downs the last of the coffee in her mug and gives Regina an amused look at Henry's unwaning excitement about going to school. "Okay, buddy." She takes his hands and lets him drag her through to the foyer.

 

Once they were all ready, coats on and bags in hand, they head out of the door and down the street for the short walk to the school. Henry made sure to stand between them, holding onto each of their hands so they can swing him as they always do whenever the three of them walk anywhere together.

 

The closer they get to the school, the sweatier Emma's palms get, not that Henry noticed. He was too busy telling them both about all the colouring he planned to do in school that day. 

 

Regina didn't have the heart to tell him that school would be getting a bit more serious this year and he would have to do harder things than colouring. That would be his teachers problem later. She just wanted to enjoy the short walk as a family, something she believed Henry should have had from the very start of his life; a family.

 

Before they knew it they were at the gates of the school and it was time to say goodbye to each other until later that afternoon.

 

"Okay, my loves, this is your stop," Regina announces with a smile. She kneels down in front of Henry and strokes his cheek. "Listen to your teacher and have a good day, okay?"

 

"Okay, mommy," he brightly responds but his attention is on the playground as he searches for a familiar face of one of his friends. "I see Nick. Can I go play with him, please?" Usually no one was as important to him than his mom and Emma but it had been weeks since school had broken up and he hadn't seen much of his friends in that time.

 

She gives him a hug and kisses his cheek and just as he's about to run away Emma scoops him up. "Were you going to run away without saying goodbye to me, mister?" She questions as she tickles him.

 

"Yes," he honestly admits through his laughter.

 

"Give me a kiss and I'll forgive you."

 

He grabs her face with his little hands and puckers up to kiss her. "Don't forget to come and see me."

 

"I won't," she promises before putting him down. As soon as his feet touch the sidewalk he runs off through the gates, calling and waving at Nick to get his attention.

 

"Is it wrong that I feel jealous of Nick?" Emma facetiously asks.

 

"Awww are you jealous that Henry has other friends?"

 

"A little... yeah," she openly admits.

 

Regina takes her hand but makes no mention of how clammy it feels, and they walk further down the block until they reach the entrance to the high school, which is Emma's stop.

 

Regina turns to her and takes both of her hands in her own. "I'm really proud of you for doing this. I know you have worries about it but it will all be okay. Even if you decide you don't like then I'm sure we could find you another job."

 

"As long as I get to go home to you and Henry every night I know everything will be alright." She doesn't think twice about giving her girlfriend a kiss. Storybrooke was only a small town and over the last few weeks everyone had got to know about them being a couple so there was nothing to hide. The town may have been small but it's denizens weren't small minded.

 

"We will be there every morning and every night. I love you. Try to enjoy today and just talk to Fred if you have any concerns."

 

"I will. One more kiss for luck?" 

 

Regina smiles the presses her lips to Emma's, letting them linger a little before puling back and forcing herself to let go of Emma's hands so she can continue her walk to work. She walks without looking back, knowing that if she did she would chase the blonde inside so she could look after her on her first day.

 

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Regina had desperately tried to leave work early but it was one of those days where everything that can go wrong, did go wrong. It was just so typical that it happened on the day that she really wanted to get home early to find out how Emma and Henry's first day had been. She was more concerned with Emma because she was sure Henry would have had a great day. Emma had sent her a text around lunchtime to say that it was all going well but all Regina had managed to send back was "that's good. I can't wait to hear all about it tonight," before she had to begin yet another meeting.

 

As soon as she enters the house she kicks off her shoes, drops her bag, and takes off her coat before following the sound of talking and laughing in the lounge. "Sorry I'm late."

 

"Hi, mommy. We just finished my homework." 

 

They are both sitting on their bums in front of the coffee table that has a few pieces of paper spread out over it. This was the very first piece of homework he had ever had and she had missed it, but she was glad that Emma had been there to help him with it. As she approaches them she can see it is very simple math questions that he had been given as homework. 

 

She leans down to kiss the top of his head. "That's my good boy. Did you have a good day?" 

 

"Yeah but we didn't do much colouring," he sighs.

 

"Do you want to do some colouring now, until dinner is ready?" He nods eagerly at the suggestions. "Put your homework back in your schoolbag and go and get your colouring book."

 

He does as told, picking up the pieces of paper off the coffee table and scurrying away with them to keep them safely in his bag.

 

"And how was your day?" She finally speaks to Emma, holding her hand out for the blonde to take as she helps her up off the floor.

 

"It was really good." She smiles widely and genuinely as she takes the proffered hand and stands up. "I missed you though." She loosely wraps her arms around Regina's waist and pulls her against herself. "The note you put in with my lunch was particularly welcome. it was so sweet. The little 'p.s.' at the end was very distracting though, and it made the rest of the day feel like it was dragging."

 

"I'm glad you liked I," she smirks, " I hope your not too tired to let me keep my promise." She bites her lip and the prospect of carrying out what she had written in the note.

 

"Definitely not. I would wake up from a coma for that," she winks.

 

Henry comes back in, colouring book and pencils in hand, he plonks himself back down in front of the coffee table. He flips through the colouring book and ponders before putting it aside. "Mommy, can I draw a picture instead?"

 

"Of course you can." She turns to Emma, "would you mind grabbing some blank paper from the printer and I'll go start on dinner?"

 

"Sure thing." She goes to their home office to grab a few sheets of paper, smiling when she sees her desk and the effort Regina has gone to to try and help her. "Here you go, for your masterpiece," she says with a bow as she hands the paper to Henry. 

 

He giggles at her silliness as he takes them from her. "Thank you."

 

"What can I help with?" Emma asks as she gives Regina a peck on the cheek when she enters the kitchen.

 

"Would you do the salad?" She requests as she puts spaghetti into a pot of boiling water. "And you can tell me all about your day."

 

"It was really good. The morning was mainly paperwork and then Fred went over all the coursework I will need to do. I managed to quickly catch Henry for a hug before I had an amazing lunch made by my amazing girlfriend..."

 

"It was just a sandwich," Regina humbly interrupts.

 

"It was an amazing sandwich," she reiterates, "but the note my amazing girlfriend snuck into my bag was definitely the highlight of my day."

 

"Just wait until I keep my word and I do it for your later," Regina replies with a wink.

 

"Stop distracting me, Madam Mayor. I might accidentally cut myself."

 

Henry rushes into the kitchen, waving his drawing in the air as the two women are setting the table. "Look what I made," he boasts as he thrusts it into Emma's hands.

 

"This is awesome, buddy," she congratulates him after studying it for a few seconds. She could clearly see his depiction of the three of them together, Henry in the middle of them, just like he had been on the walk to school, but he left a big gap between them all.

 

"Why is there so much space between us all?" Regina queries as she eyes his drawing from behind him. The picture was full of colour but on either side of himself he had left big uncoloured gaps.

 

"I left that so when we get more family... when I get brothers and sisters, I can draw them in," he innocently replies.

 

Regina nervously shifts her eyes to Emma.

 

"That's a smart idea, buddy," she gives a wide smile before meeting Regina's eyes. "You forgot to sign in though," she points out.

 

"Oh yeah! I'll go do that now," he says as he takes the drawing back and rushes back through to the lounge to add his name to it.

 

"He's go quite the active imagination," Regina tentatively says through a half smile. 

 

"Yes, he does. What if," she steps closer to Regina and holds her chin, "it isn't just his imagination? What if we made it real?"

 

"You want to have kids with me?" She needed it confirmed before she would let herself smile like an idiot.

 

"Yeah... yeah, I do." She answers honestly. "It's not something we have to do right away but I would definitely like more children with you. I know Henry isn't technically mine but I do feel like he is. He's my family... my little boy," she finishes quietly.

 

The giant, idiotic smile finally breaks loose on Regina's face. "I would like that too, and obviously so would Henry." She bites her lip and takes Emma's hands in her own. "There is a way you could make him officially yours as well," she says sounding more nervous than Emma had ever heard her sounding.

 

"I would love that." Her eyes glisten with unspilled tears as she catches onto what Regina had inferred.

 

"I did my name," Henry loudly announces as he walks back in holding up the signed drawing.

 

Emma rubs her eyes and takes a deep breath. "Let's put this one on the fridge, buddy." She picks him up and when he presses the drawing against the fridge she secures it with a couple of magnets. "Perfect," she murmurs as she kisses his head and pulls Regina against her.

 

Regina couldn't agree more. She could finally say that she wasn't just contented with her life, she was really, truly happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you all for joining me on this journey. This is an amazing fandom because of you all xxx


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